Central ND News

The City of Bismarck has started the process to secure land for a new police station, making the first of three payments that will total $5 million over three years. The 9.8-acre parcel is located in northeast Bismarck near Century Avenue and Valley Forge Street. Construction on the site is expected to begin in 2027.

Bismarck Police Chief Jason Stugelmeyer commented on the project: “I’m very excited to be part of designing Bismarck’s next police station. This location will allow us to grow with the community and the size of the lot will allow the department to centralize many of our significant assets under one roof and expand our intelligence-led efforts.”

The purchase was enabled by reallocating city reserves, a move approved by the City Commission as part of the 2024 budget. Instead of relying solely on bonding, construction costs will be supported through a sales tax initiative approved by voters in November 2024.

Bismarck Mayor Michael Schmitz explained, “By modifying our reserves policy, we were able to access funding to make this purchase possible. This change ensured we still had three months of reserves available in the event of an emergency, while still giving us access to additional funds that would not have been available otherwise.”

Finance Director Dmitriy Chernyak noted, “We have been extremely fortunate to have had the financial foresight to set aside enough funds for this project. Without that planning, and a clear vision, we may not have been able to set ourselves for success with a facility that could serve the community for the next 50 years.”

The current police station has served multiple emergency response agencies over time and has seen staffing increase from 63 sworn officers in 1989 to 136 today, along with about 30 non-sworn support staff.

Channel Properties, LLLP is selling the land for the new station. The city plans to issue a request for proposals for architectural design work soon. The future use of the current police station at 700 South Ninth Street remains undecided; repurposing it as an expanded training facility is being considered.

Bismarck City Commissioner and Police Portfolio Holder John Risch said, “Retaining our current police station for training and maintaining a police presence in south Bismarck will allow us to build a smaller facility in north Bismarck than was originally proposed. This will save taxpayer money while at the same time improve our ability to provide the safety and protection our citizens need and deserve.”

More information about Bismarck Police Department can be found online.