Staff photo / Raymond L. Smith Eric R. Sheppard, commander of the Warren District of the Ohio State Highway Patrol, speaks at Wednesday’s unveiling of the new barracks for the Warren post in Southington. The new building cost $2.5 million and will house the patrol’s Warren District headquarters, the post’s dispatching unit and the criminal patrol unit.

SOUTHINGTON — A new $2.5 million headquarters for the Warren Ohio State Highway Patrol post was unveiled to the public Wednesday afternoon.

“The combination of the age and the fact we outgrew our former building encouraged the building of this new facility,” Lt. Robert G. Sellers, a patrol spokesman said. “We will have greater efficiency because different units will work closer together.”

Sellers said the new building is larger and houses the patrol’s Warren District Headquarters, its dispatch unit and criminal patrol unit. In the past, these units often worked at different locations.

The new building also has more garage repair stations. It has three bays, instead of one.

Approximately 60 employees, including OSHP officers, are expected to work in the new building. Most of the patrol’s operations already are working in the new building.

“We began looking at upgrading or replacing our former post several years ago,” Sellers said. “This was funded in the last two-year budget.”

The original Warren post was established in 1935 in a house on Parkman Road. It moved to Summit Street in 1944. At the time, it had five officers, three patrol cars and two motorcycles.

The post being replaced opened in 1964. The newest post is just north of of the one being replaced.

“Not everything is out of our old building,” Sellers said. “It eventually will be demolished.”

The Ohio State Highway Patrol has 59 posts, which serve 88 Ohio counties.

“Statewide, our troopers make personal contact with more than 1.4 million people annually,” Col. Richard S. Fambro said. “Last year, Warren district troopers answered more than 170,00 calls for service, responded to almost 6,700 calls for reckless or impaired drivers, 12,000 reports of traffic crashes and provided assistance to 26,000 motorists.”

Warren troopers also investigated 2,300 criminal acts, made 675 felony arrests, nearly 2,000 drug arrests and seized almost 100 illegal weapons, according to Fambro.

Fambro emphasized that troopers provide service with respect.

The Warren district encompasses seven counties: Trumbull, Mahoning, Columbiana, Portage, Geauga, Ashtabula and Lake.