A new substation for the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office opened recently in Davenport.
The building at 450 state Highway 1 was leased for five years in 2024 to provide a base for the Sheriff’s Office in the North County area following the opening of nearly 9 miles of trails at the Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument and completion of segments of the North Coast Rail Trail. Both recreational attractions are expected to increase local visitors and tourist traffic.
The county Parks Department will have space in the two-story building, as will the area’s representative on the county Board of Supervisors, Justin Cummings.
The substation is expected to reduce costs by sharing space and improve emergency response times in the area.
The substation will also be a service center for volunteers working on trail maintenance and other projects to organize.
The building will also display works from local artists, starting with local photographer Ed Dickie.
Welcoming feast
Cummings, Sheriff Chris Clark, and personnel from the county government and Sheriff’s Office hosted a Feb. 13 community barbecue at the substation to celebrate its opening.
“This new substation formalizes our commitment to serving the North Coast community,” Clark said in a statement when the building’s lease was announced last summer. “By making sure residents and visitors alike have a direct connection to the Sheriff’s Office, we can respond quickly, engage directly, and ensure all have a great experience along the North Coast.”
The roughly 5,100-square-foot building was leased for about $31,800 a year, according to county documents.
It sits on the same property as the former Davenport Jail, a small, two-room standalone jail that was operational from 1914 to 1936 and is still maintained by the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History.
The jail is open on the second Saturday of every month and currently features a free art exhibit by Watsonville-based artist Joshua Moreno.