Cochise County

The Douglas Police Department is housed in the former
and historical El Paso and Southwestern Railroad Depot.
It was built in 1913 as a passenger depot for the railroad.
At the time of construction the building was the pride
of the Douglas community.

During World War I, as many as eight passenger trains
arrived each day. The trains were dubbed with colorful
names such as Southwestern Flyer, Drummer's Special,
Golden State Limited, Sunset Limited, and the Argonaut.

In 1924, the El Paso and Southwestern became part of the
Southern Pacific railroad system.

The station was especially busy during World War II due
to the large number of troop trains that passed through.
The local USO and other volunteers passed out food and
magazines to the troops bound for training and war.

Following World War II, the increased use of the
automobile as the primary means of transportation
brought about the end of passenger service to and
through Douglas. Demand for freight service also
declined over the years. In 1961, the tracks that
had been laid running east to El Paso were abandoned.

Southern Pacific sold the building to the City of
Douglas in 1985 but continued to maintain offices
in the depot until 1987. A U.S. Naval Reserve unit
occupied a portion of the building during this same
period. In spite of this the building was allowed to
fall into a state of disrepair suffering vandalism
and extensive water damage. A number of proposals
for the renovation and use of the building failed
to materialize.

In 1991, the Douglas Mayor and Council approved a plan
that called for using "asset sharing" money, funds that
have been seized under state and federal racketeering
statutes and forfeited for law enforcement use, to renovate
the depot in order to house the Douglas Police Department.

The renovation retained the central rotunda's 1913 appearance
while providing a modern state-of-the-art police facility