The DPD Northeast Police Substaion located here in Lake Highlands recently received a large donation.

And this large donation refers to a rather big building!

Just yesterday, LH Today met with Dallas Police Sergeant Adrian White to discuss how this unique donation came about.

“Father Clif Gardner, along with several other members from St. James Episcopal Church, paid us a surprise visit a few months ago,” says Sgt. White.

“They were starting a new outreach initiative, and they literally just showed up and asked what they could do for us.”

“We had a blue-mass for the officers last spring which was nice, but we wanted to challenge ourselves to do something more,” explains Father Gardner. “We have a number of outreach programs, but we really wanted to do something for the local community.”

Sgt. White was quick to give Father Gardner and the rest of the kind folks from St. James a tour of the DPD police station.

“It was obvious they needed more space for some of their equipment,” says Father Gardner. “The other thing we quickly noticed was the chairs. These chairs used by the officers at their desks use were obviously very old and falling apart.”

As Sgt. White explained, their need for more space and better equipment is a combination of lack of funds and a prioritization system by the city on funds dispersement.

“During a budget crisis, storage space falls way down the list of items the city wants to spend money on, as it probably should.” explains Sgt. White. “That said, we certainly need the storage space, especially given that more officers will soon be joining the force.”

Following the tour of the station, Father Gardner went back to the Saint James outreach committee and gained their approval to make a donation. With a budget of roughly $5,000.00, Sgt. White was tasked with getting the most bang for the buck.

Turns out, Morgan Building Supply recently had a storage building returned - one that would have normally costs much more than the St. James donation would cover, but they offered it up for the cost of a smaller building.

In short, as of today, the hard working DPD officers of the Northeast Substation now have a little extra elbow room, thanks to their newly acquired storage space.

“The building is being used to store equipment that is typically used by our mobile field force,” says Sgt. White.

Last Sunday, Father Gardner and several other St. James members stopped by the police station for the new building’s dedication, but their work is far from done.

St. James has plans to network with other churches in order to raise enough funds to replace all those dilapidated chairs at the station, as well.

“We are really blessed to have the opportunity to give back to these police officers,” says Father Gardner. “It's a wonderful start to this relationship.”

Deputy Chief of Police Tom Lawrence agrees. “We are so appreciative of the people from St. James Episcopal. It’s really nice to have had them reach out on their own and help us with a real need. My hat is certainly off to them.”

For more information on St. James Episcopal Church, readers can visit their website at http://www.stjamesdallas.org.