It’s ironic.
The building at 4545 Bryan used to be two bars. But starting this month, the red brick building will be the new East Dallas Storefront.
“Our purpose is to serve the East Dallas Community, and this new facility will allow us to do that,” says Sgt. Jim Little at the Storefront.
The staff of the Storefront, which consists of one sergeant, four sworn officers and two nonsworn officers, have crammed into a small place at 1327 Peak at Bryan since 1984.
Little says the small space presented problems whenever they wanted to have a community meeting. But the new facility, which is 3,400 square feet, has enough room for meetings and more, such as community volunteers to help with answering the phone and office work.
The City is renting the building from Communities Foundation of Texas, Inc., and it was renovated by the Dallas Youth Services Corps., Little says.
In addition to a bigger building with meeting rooms for the community, there will also be a small park with picnic tables behind it.
Cpl. Rick Janich, an officer at the Storefront, says the new facility will be more like a community assistance center – where neighborhood residents can go for help for more than just crime.
“We’ve been doing community policing for a while, but this is the true essence of it,” Janich says.
