{"id":101942,"date":"2019-08-16T14:15:35","date_gmt":"2019-08-16T18:15:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/?p=101942"},"modified":"2019-09-26T06:33:33","modified_gmt":"2019-09-26T10:33:33","slug":"ucf-police-department-opens-downtown-station","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/ucf-police-department-opens-downtown-station\/","title":{"rendered":"UCF Police Department Opens Downtown Station"},"content":{"rendered":"

As UCF inches closer to the opening of UCF Downtown<\/a>, Friday marked a special day for the new campus and the Orlando community with the opening of the UCF Police Department\u2019s substation.<\/p>\n

\u201cPartnering with the City of Orlando and Valencia has made all the difference in the world. Four years of planning have gone into creating this space, and public safety is top of mind for all of us,\u201d says UCF Police Chief Carl Metzger \u201903MS<\/strong>, who started his law enforcement career in the Parramore community with the Orlando Police Department. \u201cPeople can\u2019t live, work, study, learn, do research and teach unless they\u2019re safe and they feel safe. That\u2019s what we\u2019re passionate about at the UCF Police Department and that\u2019s what this substation is all about.\u201d<\/p>\n

The station, located at 398 West Amelia Street, mirrors UCFPD\u2019s hub on the main campus. In addition to work spaces for the officers and meetings rooms, the station also features a soft interview room, offering a comforting space for victims of violent crime to speak with police.<\/p>\n

UCF opened its first soft interview room<\/a> at its main campus station two years ago with the help of Veronica and Tony Figueroa, a real estate team with a personal connection to UCFPD, and turned to the couple again to help create the downtown space.<\/p>\n

A plaque hanging outside of the room with a message from the Figueroas reads, \u201cIt is our honor to support survivors through the healing process, and it is our sincere hope that this space will provide a small sense of light and comfort during the darkest times.\u201d<\/p>\n