With Tuesday’s groundbreaking of Allentown’s new Public Safety Building, the city’s police force is finally getting the headquarters they deserve, officials said.
Built in 1963, the current building is so cramped that many of the city’s 212 officers work out of a substation six blocks away. The new $37 million facility at 425 W. Hamilton Street, an expansion of the current building, will be a fitting home for a force that helped Allentown achieve record low violent crime rates in recent years, said Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk.
“Our police officers have been mustering at a site that does not recognize the tremendous impact they’ve had on our community,” Tuerk said. “They have helped create a feeling of safety in the city that we have not seen in a very long time.”
The expansion of the police station has been in the works since 2024, following a feasibility study conducted by architecture firm Alloy5 that found problems with the current police station’s American Disabilities Act compliance and fire protection.
Plans for the finished building include a large glass facade and a mural with public art reflecting “Allentown police pride,” officials said previously. The expansion of the space would allow up to 250 officers to work in the same building, so the substation at 1005 W. Hamilton St.10th will be shut down. On April 10, the Allentown Art Museum purchased the substation for $749,000, county records show.
The 22,500-square-foot addition is being built by Alvin H. Butz Inc. Officials said $9 million of the cost will come from federal American Rescue Plan funds, with the rest coming from the city. Construction is projected to take about two years.
Allentown police Chief Charles Roca said the new headquarters will be a point of pride for city residents, and will be easier to find than the current building, which is set back from Hamilton Street in the shadow of City Hall.
He said the building will have the amenities officers need to keep up with training and certifications, and he hoped it would be a recruitment tool at a time when Allentown, like many police departments across the nation, struggles to find new hires to fill its ranks.
“To the men and women of the Allentown Police Department, your courage, professionalism and sacrifice are the backbone of public safety in Allentown. This project is for you, ensuring that you have the tools and space to perform to the highest standards, while honoring the rights and dignity of every person,” Roca said.