The California Highway Patrol is moving into a new Stockton office.
The new headquarters was built at a cost of $21 million with provisions and expectations it may be expanded in the future on the same site as the population grows.
The new structure on Wilcox Road is just to the north of the CHP’s present location on Ad Art Road and a quarter mile east of Highway 99 off of Waterloo Road. It is relatively close to the former headquarters that housed up to 75 staff members for nearly 50 years.  It is now able to accommodate some 125 officers and support personnel. The building is much larger than its former site that had cramped office space in the 15,000- square-foot location. 
The Stockton office is the southernmost of four communications centers in the CHP’s Valley Division.  Its officers cover the counties of San Joaquin County, Calaveras and Amador.
In their old facility, officers often were required to have training outside the building even going next door to use the Farm Bureau’s board rooms.  Officers from throughout the coverage area this week were being trained in a mental health response program in one of the spacious rooms at their new facility.
The new location includes space for commercial vehicle inspections – in contrast to formerly having officers conducting those investigations on the roadway in front of their old office.
The CHP Dispatch Center will remain at the department’s former location with plans to move it to the new one-story 45,000 square foot state-of-the-art structure in the near future.
Features at the new headquarters building include:
uAn entrance where the public can take care of citations and fix-it tickets, request accident reports, and recover their vehicles that have been impounded.
uA vehicle maintenance shop that offers space for technicians to work inside away from the summer heat and winter rain along with storage for parts and tires.
uAdjacent to a wash bay with recyclable, returnable water, a sprayer and scrubber and towels.
uAn up-to-date network system that will support the development of new technologies including body cameras officers will be carrying on their uniforms.
uA secure parking lot with covered parking outfitted with a solar electric system.  Earlier some of the Farm Bureau’s campus next door offered additional parking spaces.
uAn office for training officers where weapons are to be inspected and cleaned as well as a room for state issued from hand-held radios to stun guns with an armory where firearms can be stored safely.
uTwo separate interview rooms with automatic audio and visual recording when someone enters the rooms.
uAn intoxification room where suspects can be finger printed, receive a breathalyzer test and be identified along with other pre-booking procedures. 
uAn evidence room where evidence can be prepared, tagged, weighed and tested.  It has proper ventilation for any chemicals involved.  Evidence is then put into a locker to be later placed into the evidence storage room.
The office building is equipped with a generator that can provide electric power for up to 72 hours with several charging stations for electric vehicles including one in front of the building to provide for public use.