Houston Police, Sheriff's Office to Get New Headquarters

Harris County's largest law enforcement agencies are set to spend more than $210 million in coming years on new headquarters near downtown Houston.

Houston's city council last week approved an agreement that could total more than $100 million to move police headquarters and several other city departments to Continental Airlines' former headquarters at 1600 Smith St., less than a mile from the current headquarters at 1200 Travis St.

Meanwhile, Harris County broke ground on a $157 million sheriff's office safety center at 5910 Navigation Boulevard that, once completed, will allow the agency to move its criminal investigations unit into one building, officials said.

"By consolidating these critical functions into one area, we're not just upgrading infrastructure; we're strengthening our ability to deliver justice more effectively and transparently," Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said.

Here's what to know about each of the projects:

New Houston HQ could save the city money

Members of city council praised the deal to purchase Continental Airlines' former headquarters, saying it would solve major maintenance costs of almost $20 million per year to maintain the Houston Police Department's headquarters.

Under the terms of the deal, the police officers' pension system would purchase the building for around $50 million and then lease it to the city until it could be purchased outright, according to Randy Macchi, public works director for the city. The purchase would include a 1.1-million-square-foot office tower and a 13-story parking garage, which has a valuation of around $100 million.

Once acquired, the city would move the police department and the public works department to the new building and sell the old properties, Macchi said.

"To put the deal in perspective, I promise you'd be hard-pressed as a city to build a parking garage at that price," Macchi said, adding it would be a headline-making deal.

Macchi estimated the first employees would be able to move to the new building within a year, with the full move over within two years. Once city employees outfit the new facility to meet the department's needs, the entire project might cost between $100 million and $200 million, with most of that funded by already-existing contracts.

Doug Griffith, president of the Houston Police Officers Union, said he was excited about the agency's pending move from the building it has called home since the late 1990s.

Sheriff's office works to centralize its operations

The same week that the city council approved the $50 million purchase deal, the Harris County Sheriff's Office began work on a new 11-acre site that will eventually become home to a four-story investigations building, a two-story property/evidence and crime scene unit building, a two-story community center and a four-level parking garage.

County officials estimate the project will take around two years to complete.

The agency's criminal investigations bureau, or crime scene unit, is currently spread across multiple facilities, including a 1930s building at 601 Lockwood Dr., officials said.

District Attorney Sean Teare praised the project, saying it would provide a good space for law enforcement to collaborate and for the community to participate in the system.

"Making Harris County safer takes more than prosecutors and police — it requires community-wide cooperation," he said. "That's why this new complex is so impactful: it's a modern space for law enforcement to collaborate more efficiently, while welcoming the public to see that work. It's emblematic of our promise to be transparent, seek justice and build public trust."

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