Tradition, PGA Village and other communities in booming western Port St. Lucie will soon receive additional police protection to serve the influx of new residents and businesses.
The City Council last week agreed to start developing a new police district to reduce response times to the massive projects under construction west of Interstate 95.
Police Chief John Bolduc said establishing the new District 5 west of I-95 is his top priority for the 2019-2020 budget year, which starts Oct. 1. “There are no heinous crimes in there but (officers) are responding to a lot of calls,” Bolduc said about Tradition, PGA Village and the western communities.
Four police officers will be hired to patrol west of I-95 this year and four will be hired next year, Bolduc told the council Feb. 22 during its annual retreat.
Police officers assigned to District 5 will attend community events and reach out to homeowners associations to learn about their policing needs, Bolduc said.
Within five years, the new District 5 will be staffed by a lieutenant, six sergeants and 24 police officers, Bolduc said. It will cost about $3.7 million per year to operate the district.
Port St. Lucie is currently divided into four police districts. The neighborhoods west of I-95 are in District 3 south of the C-24 canal and District 4 north of the canal.
District 1 is east of the St. Lucie River, District 2 is between the river and Florida’s Turnpike and Districts 3 and 4 are west of the turnpike.
It took police an average of 7 minutes and 11 seconds to respond to an emergency call in 2017, an increase of 28 seconds from 2016, city records show.
Vice Mayor Shannon Martin said it is important to establish the new police district so enough officers are stationed west of I-95 to quickly respond to calls for service.
“As we continue to grow, we’re absolutely going to need it,” Martin said. “We already need it now.”
