Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Southwestern College Police Cut Ribbon on New Safety Building

  • 02/24/20

CHULA VISTA, CA – Southwestern College’s (SWC) police department recently celebrated the opening of its new facility with a ribbon-cutting recently on the Chula Vista, CA, campus.

The new College Police Building gives police and their staff a new lobby that can serve more students, a modernized dispatch center, expanded offices, storage space, community space, an evidence processing facility, locker rooms, a secure armory, secure parking and an emergency operations center.

Southwestern College Safety Building

“We want to commend Chief Davis Nighswonger and his team for overseeing the construction of this facility,” said SWC Superintendent/President Dr. Kindred Murillo. “This facility is reflective of the professionalism of our officers and police personal and helps us demonstrate their philosophy of openness and inclusion.”

The 7,077-gross-square-foot facility was built by Balfour Beatty and designed by Tucker Sadler Architects of San Diego. The new building cost $8.4 million and is part of Southwestern College’s Facilities Master Plan, funded by Propositions R and Z, that will reimagine the district’s campuses and upgrade its facilities to better serve students and the community.

The College Police department promotes the safety and security of every Southwestern College campus, including the Higher Education Centers in National City, Otay Mesa and San Ysidro. The department has 12 sworn police officers and 15 non-sworn personnel.

The police department provides a number of services to the campus community and students, including parking services, escort services around campus, victim services, lost and found, jump-starting students’ cars and more.

Chief Nighswonger is hoping the building becomes a community resource. He has reached out to the Chula Vista Police Department to offer the facility as an office space for officers patrolling the east portion of the city. The chief also is hoping to bring a drop-off box for unused prescription drugs to the facility.

About Southwestern College
Established in 1961, Southwestern College is one of 115 public community colleges in California and the only institute of higher education located in south San Diego County.

Featured

  • Vanderbilt to Partner with ABM for Campus Preservation and Modernization

    Vanderbilt University recently announced that it has selected ABM Performance Solutions for a preservation and modernization project at its New York City campus, according to a news release. ABM will deliver its end-to-end ABM Performance Solutions (APS) model to manage critical operations during renovation and maintenance.

  • NWEA Report Recommends K–12 Natural Disaster Recovery Strategies

    The Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA), a K–12 assessment and research organization, recently announced the release of a new playbook for schools and communities recovering from extreme weather events, according to a news release.

  • Stanford Completes Construction on Graduate School of Education Facility

    Stanford University in Stanford, Calif., recently announced the end of construction on a new home for its Graduate School of Education, according to a news release. The university partnered with McCarthy Building Companies on the 160,000-square-foot project, which involved two major renovations and one new construction effort.

  • Spaces4Learning Trends & Predictions for Educational Facilities in 2026: Part II

    As education leaders look toward 2026, the design of K–12 and higher education facilities is being reshaped by powerful, converging forces. Survey respondents point to the rapid growth of Career and Technical Education, deeper alignment with workforce and industry needs, and the accelerating influence of AI and emerging technologies.