Where in Dedham? The Dedham Police Station

The fallout shelter sign has been hanging in this spot since the building was dedicated 60 years ago. The fallout shelter was located in the basement behind 6-inch walls of reinforced concrete and housed the Civil Defense Communication Center. A lead shield was available to be placed over the window for protection from radioactive fallout.

The Dedham Police Department moved into their new headquarters on April 29, 1963, almost 60 years ago. The department had been in temporary headquarters at the new town hall on Bryant Street after vacating their original home in Memorial Hall which was torn down the year before.

This was the first and only building built exclusively as a police station in Dedham. Tomorrow, the new public safety building on Bryant Street will be dedicated at a ribbon cutting ceremony at 1:00. Guests are invited to attend the ceremony and tour the new police/fire facility.

The new building at 26 Bryant Street. The combined fire/police facility will also replace the 1930 Central Fire Sation on Washington Street. The Dedham Square Planning Committe recommended in December 2021 that the former police station be demolished, and the site be developed as green space.

I’ve been inside the police station exactly two times. The first time was as an eighth grader doing a report on police work. Some officers showed me around and gave me a blank fingerprint card as a souvenir. About 20 years ago my car was rammed by another one in the Dedham Plaza parking lot and I went to the police station to file an accident report. Feel free to share stories of any time you’ve spent in the Dedham Police Station!

Congratulations to Mary Fontaine who was the first to correctly identify the location!

Explore posts in the same categories: ...all the old familiar places, Dedham Then and Now

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3 Comments on “Where in Dedham? The Dedham Police Station”

  1. Jim Maher Says:

    NOPE!!!

    Like

  2. Paula Jacobs Says:

    Awesome history! Thank you Jim!

    Like

  3. toby cabot Says:

    In the early ’80’s I had to bail out a friend who had been pinched by the DPD for DUI. They were very impressed with the number that he blew – I remember one of them saying “Wow, for a little guy he can sure hold his liquor!”

    Like


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