Town breaks ground on new Queen Creek police HQ

Queen Creek has broken ground on the new Queen Creek Police Department headquarters, which will be located off Ellsworth Road, north of Crewse Lane.

“Today is a very exciting day for Queen Creek,” stated Mayor Julia Wheatley in a town press release. “This groundbreaking signifies our commitment to, and investment in, public safety. The new QCPD headquarters supports all of our strategic priorities, and the ultimate goal of keeping our families safe.”

The groundbreaking took place on Monday and now Crewse Lane from Summers Place to Ellsworth Road is closed until construction of the facility is completed in 2028.

With a total cost of $96 million, the new headquarters will be paid through bond proceeds, the town’s pay-as-you-go reserve, police impact fees and the dedicated construction sales tax.

The growth-related portion of $21 million will be funded with police impact fees and dedicated construction sales tax, both paid by new development. The non-growth portion, $75 million, will be paid primarily through the town’s pay-as-you-go reserve funding, a policy direction of the council to have available cash to pay for large, one-time projects, the release continued.

On May 20, the Queen Creek Town Council approved a resolution allowing the town manager and director of the capital improvement projects department to authorize agreements to start work on the headquarters and associated parking in the amount of more than $11.3 million.

The $11.3 million is part of the more than $17.1 million budgeted for the headquarters in the current fiscal year. The balance, almost $78.9 million, is part of the 2026-27 fiscal year budget approved by the council at the same meeting. The new fiscal year starts on July 1.

The new headquarters will replace the growing department’s current operations at the Law Enforcement and Community Chambers building.

It will bring all police operations under the same roof, provide enough room for future employees and eliminate the need for separate substations or satellite facilities.

Earlier this year, the town opened the Gail A. Barney Public Safety Support Facility.

“I want to thank the town council, town manager, and town staff who helped make this project possible,” stated QCPD Chief Randy Brice in the release. “The new headquarters will provide the space, technology and resources needed to support our officers and professional staff as they continue serving our community now and into the future.”