23/09/2026
The department is thrilled to get these leases across the finish line!!
The downtown outpost has been operating for some time, but a larger investment by the department in southeast Fort Wayne is good for residents, businesses, and Fort Wayne as a whole!
The Fort Wayne Police Department thanks Fort Wayne City Council for multiple approvals. Tonight, council reviewed several key Fort Wayne Police Department (FWPD) expenditures.
• Lease approval of a new outpost in southeast Fort Wayne
• Lease approval for the FWPD’s downtown outpost
• Review of the Justice Assistance Grant (JAG)
The proposed outpost for southeast Fort Wayne is a now-vacant storefront in Southgate Plaza at 208 East Petit Avenue, Suite 51. Right now, officers who patrol the southeast quadrant have no place to regroup or take lunch, so they often head outside southeast Fort Wayne, which reduces their response time.
“This location will not only be a positive for the officers who use it, but for the businesses and community surrounding it,” said Southeast Quadrant Deputy Chief Kerry Haywood. “The department and Southgate will both be better once the new outpost is active.”
At just $10 per year, the 10-year lease will cost the department only $100 and quickly pay for itself by giving officers respite and taxpayers faster response times. Once the interior is redone and proper facilities are installed, officers will call the new outpost home. The other approved lease secures the same promises in the heart of Fort Wayne’s downtown.
"As downtown development continues, there are more people doing life in downtown Fort Wayne,” said Cpt. Jeremy Webb, who oversees the FWPD’s downtown operations. “To support that, we need more officers who are visible to the public and ready to help them at a moment’s notice."
Located inside the Pearl, this outpost has already boosted FWPD's efforts in downtown Fort Wayne after opening earlier this year. The location shares strengths with the police department a few blocks away but is outfitted for officers who are specifically on the street - not the dozens of specialized uses the Rousseau Center serves.
This means that officers can get in and out of the outpost quickly, keeping valuable forces on the street at a moment’s notice. Something that would otherwise consume valuable time at the Rousseau Center.
“This location will keep officers on street level where they are more immediately useful to the people of Fort Wayne,” Webb said.
City council also reviewed the FWPD’s use of justice assistance funds. This year's JAG grant purchases will support patrol operations, the crime lab, the public information office, and the investigative operations center.
• Patrol Operations ($7,600): Funding will be used to purchase (4) automated external defibrillators for patrol operations. They will enhance the department’s ability to provide immediate lifesaving intervention during sudden cardiac arrest and other critical medical emergencies.
• Crime Lab ($58,424): The department will purchase a forensic semen-detection device ($35,000). It will help crime scenes and lab personnel identify locations that warrant targeted collection. Funding will also be used to purchase training ($9,689) and a 3-D module ($13,735) for a new piece of equipment (DCS6), which will allow the lab to photograph, visualize, enhance, and document latent fingerprints—particularly prints that are difficult to see with conventional photography.
• Public Information Office ($2,500): Funding will support sending a department member to training
in 2027.
• Investigative Operations Center ($5,360): Funding will purchase accessories and technology for the newly expanded Investigative Operations Center.
