FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. –
A new police station opened here recently, replacing two World War II-era buildings the police department had been using.
The new station is located on Fisher Avenue just east of Wiley Road.
“It’s definitely an upgrade compared to where we came from,” said Fort Indiantown Gap Police Chief Devan Kramer.
Fort Indiantown Gap Director of Public Safety Jarrad Berkihiser agreed that the new facility is an upgrade.
“When you go from 2,500 square feet of operational space to about 6,000 and you have everything in one building, it’s a major upgrade,” said Berkihiser, who was the police chief before being elevated to director of public safety in September.
Previously, the police department was located in two different buildings on Wiley Road that were constructed in the early 1940s.
“We had locker rooms in 7-4 and bathroom facilities in in 7-4, and the main operations in 7-5,” Berkihiser said. “Now we have everything under one roof with modern technology compared to construction that was originally done in 1941.”
Construction began in December 2021 on the 5,990-square-foot facility, which includes a dispatch area, training areas, a holding cell, an evidence room, locker rooms, work stations and office space.
“Sergeants in the old building shared desks, but now there’s a desk for each shift sergeant,” said Kramer, who has been with the department since 2010.
The new station also has a secured parking area for employees and police vehicles and a covered car port for police vehicles, so officers don’t have to clear snow and ice off of them in the winter.
“It’s certainly a more secure building,” Berkihiser said.
The old police station buildings will be renovated, then utilized by the Keystone State ChalleNGe Academy, which is directly behind them.