NBPA says aging Santa Barbara Drive station poses unacceptable risks, urges city to consider responsible alternatives before future public safety crises.
NEWPORT BEACH, CA, UNITED STATES, June 16, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — The Newport Beach Police Association today announced its full support for the city’s effort to plan, fund, and construct a new Police Department Headquarters, citing serious safety and operational failures at the existing facility.
“Our current station is woefully inadequate for the modern demands of law enforcement,” said NBPA President Joe DeJulio. “From raw sewage backups inside our offices and a recent near-miss electrical fire, to unreliable IT infrastructure, the time to invest in public safety is now.”
The existing station on Santa Barbara Drive was built more than five decades ago to serve a population roughly half its current size. Newport Beach police now protect an estimated 7 million visitors and residents annually. Decades of temporary repairs, inadequate micro-remodels, and inconsistent investment have left the aging building unable to reliably support evidence logging, officer operations, or emergency response as the city grows forward.
President DeJulio continued, “remodeling, reconstructing, or reusing the current site is not an option that the NBPA supports. Police operations are a critical 24/7 system that cannot be simply moved or temporarily relocated without significant costs, delayed response times, and threats to public safety in Newport Beach. The NBPA believes that Newport residents should not suffer unnecessary risks and believes that most residents don’t support a dangerous, multi-year displaced, temporarily unhoused police department.”
The NBPA credits the ongoing-collaborative work of our Newport Beach City Council, City Manager, Police Chief Dave Miner, and city staff for their efforts to identify a site that delivers what officers need: a police headquarters that meets the operational demands of modern law enforcement, ensures a centrally located base of operations, and reflects responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars.
“Solving a decades-long problem with the vision to serve the next half-century won’t happen overnight,” DeJulio said. “While officers believe that the Santa Barbara location remodel is untenable, dangerous, and will be proven unreasonably costly in both time and expense, the NBPA supports a thorough review of all other reasonable, safe, and viable options. We fully support our council, especially Mayor Lauren Kleiman and the city’s soon-to-be-appointed Police Headquarters Advisory Committee.”
“The NBPA and I remain fully committed to delivering excellent service and public safety no matter where our future headquarters is located. However, location, investment, and timing matter in our officers ability to respond quickly and keep Newport safe. The wrong location, wrong building, and wrong choice could have devastating consequences that city leadership must consider now. We thank our elected officials and city staff for their ongoing commitment to transparency throughout this critical public safety investment process.”
About the Newport Beach Police Association
The Newport Beach Police Association represents the men and women of the Newport Beach Police Department. The NBPA advocates for its members and works alongside city leadership to ensure the safety, wellbeing, and effectiveness of law enforcement in Newport Beach, California.
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Joe DeJulio
Newport Beach Police Association
dejulio@newportbeachpa.org
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