Ithaca's West End will now be better served by the police department. Residents pushed for a district office in their community, and got one. Philip O'Driscoll explains more about the new relationship between police and people who live in the area.
ITHACA, N.Y. -- Ithaca's West End: a neighborhood with a renewed sense of being served by the city police department.
It's something Orazio Ciaschi and his father Tim have been working to establish.
"just having cop cars here will deter you know drugs and thieves from being in this area," Orazio Ciaschi said.
Police and community members marked the opening of a new West End District Office on Buffalo Street Wednesday inside the Lehigh Valley House.
"This is an area that is growing rather quickly. There's condominiums, there's some waterfront development, there's a waterfront trail. Now is the time to have more of a police prescence," Police Chief John Barber.
Representatives from the police department met with community member last year about how to better establish a stronger community connection. That was when the Ciaschi's stepped forward in a big way.
"He came up with the idea to build condos and the police station," Ciaschi said.
The family that owns the Lehigh Valley House felt the obligation to help reduce crime in their neighborhood, deciding to donate a section to the police department to house their district office here.
And the location also eases police workflow.
"Now instead of the officers returning to headquarters to do their paperwork and conduct interviews etc., they can come right here to the district office to do that," Barber said.
And the creation of the new facility barely burdens Ithaca taxpayers, offiicials said.
"It's $1 a year," Barber said.
Besides the police office, adjacent space on the ground floor of the building can be used for the community to have meetings. There is also a kitchen and a salon is in the works. The upper floors have also been converted to condos.