Highlands Ranch, Colo -- Highlands Ranch residents are finally getting a sheriffs office substation. Douglas County Sheriff David Weaver officially broke ground Monday on the new building in Town Center even though construction has already started. The site is located at southwest corner of Ridgeline Blvd and Highlands Ranch Pkwy, just east of the RTD park-n-ride.

“Highlands Ranch continues to grow and as traffic continues to grow it’s good to have a division here where we can just meet the needs of our citizens. If it is a crime or it’s a traffic issue that we’re a part of the community," said Sheriff David Weaver.

The county estimates it could save hundreds of thousands of dollars every year in fuel and wear and tear on vehicles by not having to drive to and from Castle Rock some 20 minutes away.

"We figured out the cost savings will be in this area alone will be about $600,000 a year, " said Weaver.

The sheriff said he will be able to provide more patrol officer time on the roads by having deputies assigned to Highlands Ranch instead of being based out of the Castle Rock headquarters.

Highlands Ranch is home to almost 100,000 residents but is not officially a city, so the Douglas County sheriff that has jurisdiction. Sheriff Weaver said the new substation will help improve response time. The County reports that approximately two thirds of all calls for service are located in the northern part of the County that includes Highlands Ranch, Inverness and Parker.

Douglas County has a substation in Lone Tree but it was not built as a full service facility. Those deputies currently working there will move to the new building once it's completed by the end of 2010.

"Lone Tree has their own police station now and they have officers that work the city of Lone Tree and it's very confusing for folks because about a mile away you have a sheriff's station. So with us here and the Lone Tree police taking care of the city limits it will be better for our citizens," said Weaver.

The new Highlands Ranch Substation will have more services available to the public such as fingerprinting and records releases. It will also be home to the High Tech Crime unit that investigates computer and financial crimes.

The investigators handle all crimes involving checks, credit cards, embezzlements, computer crimes, consumer frauds and other financial transaction crimes occurring within the county. Additionally, crimes against children will also be investigated through this unit.

The substation will provide a community room that can be used for meetings and presentations. This location will also serve as a back-up dispatch and computer center as well as an emergency operations center in the event of a major incident.

Stacey Seymour, a Highlands Ranch mother of two says the new substation is a great addition to Highlands Ranch. "I’ve always felt safe in Douglas County but its a little added protection that if I have a need that the call will be, help will come right away.”

The cost of the new substation is estimated at $6.5 million and is being paid for out of Justice Center Sales Tax revenues.

The street where the building will be addressed, Zotos Drive, was named for long time former Douglas County Sheriff Steve Zotos. Zotos served as Sheriff between 1983 and 2003.