Southeast : STOREFRONT STATION

Among a cluster of jewelry stores, beauty shops and restaurants, a new police substation has found its home in the heart of Bellflower’s downtown business district.

Sheriff Sherman Block announced the opening of the station on Bellflower Boulevard on Monday evening, a move aimed at increasing accessibility for the city’s police and safety services in the commercial area of the city.

The substation was previously adjacent to Simms Park, about a mile away. Mayor Randy Bomgaars said he hopes for a sense of community-based policing in the larger 7,200-square-foot facility that houses city and Sheriff’s Department community service officers, special assignment officers, detectives and the city’s probation officer.

The substation is funded by city revenue, drug seizure assets and private donations.

“The new move is a step forward in taking back the community and reducing the crime element,” Bomgaars said. “The merchants are extremely pleased to see the sheriff’s car in the area.”