Beginning in August 2026, the Casper Police Department will begin sharing monthly updates on the renovation of the new Casper Police Department building, formally known as the Casper Business Center, located at 123 West 1st Street in Casper. The department plans to bring the community along as this important project moves closer to completion, highlighting major milestones and explaining the work taking place along the way. Before sharing what is happening now, the department explains how it arrived at this point and why a new public-safety facility is needed.
Current facilities, need for a new building, and building purchase
For nearly a century, the Casper Police Department (CPD) has operated from facilities owned by others and rented by the department. Before 1977, CPD rented space in the basement of the Natrona County Courthouse. In 1977, the department moved into the Hall of Justice, where it continues to rent the first floor, basement, and limited shared spaces from Natrona County. As the department and the services it provides grew, the available space in the Hall of Justice did not. Property and Evidence expanded into the Market Street Garage, staff offices and other functions moved into the City Center Building, and the Public Safety Communications Center (911 Dispatch) moved to a leased space on Landmark Drive.
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Today, CPD is a large, multi-division public-safety organization with an authorized strength of 174 positions. Its workforce includes sworn police officers, emergency telecommunicators (911 operators), professional staff, and Metro Animal Services personnel. Together, these employees support around-the-clock patrols, countywide emergency communications, criminal investigations, records, evidence management, animal protection, victim services, school safety, training, and numerous specialized operations that support both local and statewide public safety.
A professional facility study completed in 2020 confirmed that the department had significantly outgrown its available space. Although CPD occupied 46,260 square feet across its facilities, only about 34,760 square feet were considered serviceable. The study found that the department needed approximately 65,625 square feet at that time and projected a need for more than 85,479 square feet by 2039. In practical terms, CPD was operating with just over half of the functional space it needed.
The challenge extends far beyond crowded offices. The current arrangement provides limited space to safely process and store evidence, privately assist victims, interview witnesses and suspects, train employees, house modern technology, and accommodate the public. Staff members and specialized units have been placed in converted closets and makeshift offices, with multiple employees sharing small spaces. Victims, suspects, employees, and members of the public share the same entrances and common areas. Public parking for all the services available at the Hall of Justice is extremely limited as well, making access difficult. Police vehicles are frequently stored outside, and aging electrical, plumbing, heating, and cooling systems have created additional concerns. The existing facilities were not designed to house an organization of CPD’s current size or the broad range of modern public-safety services it provides.
Following the facility study, several possibilities were evaluated, including expanding the Hall of Justice, renovating other existing properties, and constructing a new building. Each option presented significant concerns related to cost, security, ownership, parking, or long-term expansion. The Casper Business Center building, located at 123 West 1st Street, offered a centrally located, city-owned solution with enough space to consolidate police operations, emergency communications, Municipal Court, information technology, and other critical services.
The Casper City Council authorized the purchase of the Casper Business Center and connected, covered parking garage during a special meeting on April 26, 2022. The approximately $8 million acquisition was completed in May 2022 using American Rescue Plan Act funding. Purchasing and renovating an existing downtown building offered a more affordable alternative to constructing an entirely new building while keeping public-safety services near City Hall, the courts, and other government partners.
The project represents far more than a change of address. It is an opportunity to bring employees and services that have been separated for years into one secure, efficient, and city-owned facility designed to support modern policing and serve Casper for decades.
Building renovation: Work completed and current status
After the city purchased the building, it temporarily housed City Hall employees while the existing City Hall underwent renovation. City offices began temporarily relocating in May 2023. Following the return of city employees to the newly renovated City Hall in 2024, the new Police Department building could be prepared for its permanent conversion.
Because of the building’s size, age, and specialized future use, the renovation was divided into phases. City staff worked with Police Facility Design Group and Sampson Construction to prioritize critical needs, remove nonessential components, identify cost savings, and sequence the work so construction can continue as efficiently as possible.
Phase I: Demolition and abatement
Phase I included the removal of the building’s former interior spaces and the safe abatement of asbestos-containing materials. This work was substantially completed in 2025 and prepared the building for new structural, mechanical, and electrical systems and core infrastructure. Phase I cost approximately $6.2 million and was funded through federal sources, including ARPA and CARES funding.
Phase II: Windows and core infrastructure
Phase II began in January 2026 and is the current phase of the project. This phase includes removing and replacing the building’s windows, completing additional asbestos abatement, and installing the core infrastructure and systems needed throughout the facility. Work includes structural modifications and heating and cooling, plumbing, and electrical infrastructure. Phase II is estimated to cost around $15 million and is primarily funded through federal sources, including CARES funding, and surplus City of Casper One Cent funds.
Much of this progress is occurring above ceilings and throughout the building’s mechanical spaces. As of June 2026, crews were actively completing infrastructure rough-in work and installing exterior scaffolding. Phase II is expected to reach substantial completion in January 2027, with final completion anticipated in February 2027.
Phase III: Creating a functional police and public safety facility
Phase III will transform the unfinished building into an operational public-safety facility. Planned spaces include Property and Evidence, patrol operations, records and public-service areas, secure holding, investigations, administration, employee training and wellness areas, Municipal Court, countywide emergency communications, the Emergency Operations Center, and city information technology. Phase III also includes the secure sally port and standby power needed to support life-safety systems, dispatch, technology, and critical communications during an emergency. The city is considering funding Phase III through the issuance of Certificates of Participation, totaling around $15 million, to be repaid over 20 years, though final figures are still being determined.
The dispatch center, known as the Casper-Natrona County Public Safety Communications Center, will also be housed in the building. The upgraded equipment for the center was approved through the citywide optional specific sales and use tax, passed by voters on November 5, 2024. The now-ended tax provided $5 million, plus interest, to fully replace outdated equipment at the 911 Dispatch Center.
Phase III construction documents were delivered to Sampson Construction in July 2026, and the project is preparing to move into the subcontractor bidding process. Phase III construction is currently expected to begin in late 2026, with a tentative completion date sometime in late 2028.
Additional coordination remains underway for utility relocations and the vacation of the alley east of the building, which are necessary for construction of the secure sally port. Structural rehabilitation of the existing parking garage is being planned as a separate project and is not included in the three primary renovation phases.
The Casper Business Center remains an active construction site, and CPD has not yet moved into the facility. While portions of the work may not be readily visible from the outside, the project has progressed from planning and demolition into major infrastructure construction. The next significant step is bidding and beginning the final interior buildout needed to make the building a fully operational police and public-safety headquarters.
As this project advances, CPD will continue providing monthly construction updates. The department remains committed to keeping the public informed about the progress being made toward opening a modern public-safety facility designed to serve Casper for decades. CPD expresses gratitude for the continued support the community has shown for public safety and for the men and women who serve the city, and states that it remains dedicated to carrying out that responsibility with professionalism and integrity.
