NOBLESVILLE, Ind. — The city of Noblesville broke ground Thursday on a $50 million police HQ that’s been in the works for nearly 20 years.

The Division Street property, just over a half-mile from their current headquarters downtown, is a former factory site, and had to undergo rigorous health and safety testing before the development was approved. 

Right now, the police department is housed in the same building as the Noblesville Fire Department and City Courts. 

Noblesville Chief of Police, Brad Arnold, said the department’s staff of 125 has long-since outgrown the old building, which was built in 1992. 

“125 people just no longer fit in our square footage,” Arnold said. “What’s really unfortunate is we had to start putting people in different locations. So, we have an entire division in a different location on the other side of town.” 

Mayor Chris Jensen, who’s administration prioritized building a new police department when his team first took office in 2019, said the $50 million project faced plenty of hurdles, but was a necessary challenge. 

“As we continue to grow, we have a responsibility to ensure our public safety departments have the facilities, the equipment and the resources they need to grow alongside our community.” said Jensen.

Jensen said the city’s recently passed budget is another reflection of Noblesville’s commitment to public safety. 

“Tuesday night, we passed a budget that has a record-high 57% of our $143 million budget going to public safety,” he said. “That’s up about 10% since we took office seven years ago.” 

Construction will start quickly and is expected to wrap up in 18-24 months. The project will be paid for by city resources/funds and bonds.