The Branson Board of Aldermen has approved a contract to purchase land to build a new Branson Police Department building. The 5.5-acres, at Forsythe St. and Oak Creek Drive, will be purchased from Tanstone, LLC for about $950,000. The city is also looking at land for a new fire station. The projects are being funded by the public safety sales tax approved by voters in 2017.
According to city officials, the new location will allow the Branson Police Department to hire more officers. The new building will contain a state of the art Emergency Operations Center (EOC) that will double as a community room. The police department hopes the community room will be used by community partners and police working on sustainable solutions to neighborhood issues. It will also allow for dispatch services, evidence collection and storage, records retention, new technology, workout facilities and showers for employees and upgraded patrol operations.
The Board of Alderman also approved the purchase of new mobile radios for the police and fire departments, in-car and body cameras for the police department and two new school resource officers for the Branson Public School District.
Groundbreaking for the new police and fire stations is planned for 2019.
