Kent Police plan to combat one of the city’s hottest crime spots by opening a new substation.

Police will move into a storefront at the East Hill Shopping Center, 25649 104th Ave. SE, just south of Kent-Meridian High School. The current East Hill substation is at the Kent Police and Fire Training Center, 24425 116th Ave. SE.

“It’s been a hot spot in our community for a long time,” Police Chief Ken Thomas said about the area of 104th Avenue Southeast and Southeast 256th Street. “We feel this is the best way to address crime in that area is to have our officers right in the middle of it. So when they are not out patrolling but are writing reports, submitting evidence or even eating their lunch, there will be a presence of their cars, officers and a quick response time to one of the more high crime areas in our entire community.”

Shootings, drug dealing, assaults and robberies are among the crimes that have occurred in and around the shopping center and across from the high school. Police have used focus patrols for years to keep an eye on the McDonald’s restaurant that draws crowds when the high school lets out for the day. Nearby apartment complexes also have been the sites for numerous crimes.

“We’ve talked about this particular location for years,” Councilwoman Dana Ralph said. “We do have some crime issues in that area, and the high school is right there. It’s a place for officers to be seen and see. I think it’s important for the community to know we are making every effort to have a presence there.”

The City Council approved on Tuesday night a five-year lease for the substation. The least will cost $1,540 per month for the first year with increases each year that will raise the rate to $1,666 per month by 2020. Funds from the annual police budget will cover the rent.

“It looks like we are getting this for about $2 a square foot under the current market value,” said Thomas, who added staff from the City Attorney’s Office worked on the lease agreement. “We’ve done a really good job we feel of negotiating a five-year lease that is as beneficial as we can get in today’s day and age. With the economy getting better, space availability is getting less.

“When we started this (substation) program many years ago, people were willing to donate the space to get police in – that’s not the case anymore. There’s too much demand for location.”

Kent also has substations in the Panther Lake area at Southeast 208th Avenue and the Benson Highway, and on the West Hill in Woodmont at South 260th Street and Pacific Highway South.

“We have found with our community substations – if we put them in the community at a storefront – we can have a positive impact on crime,” Thomas said.

Kent Police will spend $35,000 from the school zone traffic camera fund to remodel the 1,200-square-foot storefront near the Taco Time. The costs will cover signage, four officer work stations, evidence storage setup, security cameras, computer stations and a lobby area table and chairs.

“We don’t want officers every time they have to write a report or evidence to process to have to drive downtown to headquarters,” Thomas said. “We want them to stay close to their areas of responsibility so when a call comes in they can have a much quicker response time.”

The substation will be open to the public when officers are present. The office won’t be staffed with other city personnel.

“It’s more for officers than a place for people to go,” Thomas said. “But anyone can walk in when officers are there.”