VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – Virginia Beach now has another police station – a substation at the Oceanfront.
On Tuesday, August 29, the Virginia Beach Police Department held a grand opening for the 2nd Precinct Substation, located at 2112 Atlantic Avenue. Mayor Bobby Dyer and Police Chief Paul Neudigate were among the speakers at the event.
The 2nd Precinct Police Station is located at 820 Virginia Beach Boulevard, one mile from this substation.
VBPD said the new place will be available to all first responders who work along the Oceanfront. Officers can stop by during their patrol to complete paperwork and take a quick break.
“It’s not just a police substation, it’s really public safety,” said Chief Neudigate. “It’s going to help us embed in this resort area and really serve our residents, serve our tourists and provide an exemplary customer service experience.”
According to VBPD, the idea of the substation was first introduced in June 2021, and in 2022, funds for the renovation were approved and construction began.
Neudigate referred to a tragic weekend in March of 2021 when Donovon Lynch and DeShayla Harris were killed.
“When I came to you a couple years ago after a tragic, traumatic weekend that we had down here, and I had a vision,” Neudigate stated. “Let’s take this worst property we have in the city and turn it into something great.”
The building is the former site of a bar called “The Boxx.”
“This was one of the leading crime-drivers in the city of Virginia Beach, not just the resort area," the Chief explained. “Out of every tragedy, we hope something good comes out of it as much as can be, and I think that’s what we see today- is that it took a tragedy for us to realize that we needed to make some drastic changes and make a plea to Council that we need to invest in the resort area, and we need to inhabit a property that is driving crime down here.”
VBPD said it is all part of a multi-faceted approach to making the city safer.
“It’s not just one factor,” said Captain Harry McBrien. “You add the substation, the anchor of the Oceanfront, to all the other support we get: the Shotspotter technology, additional cameras, our partners in the Sheriff’s and EMS and Fire.”
The substation is not manned 24/7 just yet, but police said that is the goal.
