Metro News Release

For immediate release: May 12, 2006

Metro to build Transit Police substation at Fort Totten


Building named in honor of fallen Metro Transit Police Officer Marlon Morales

Metro officially broke ground on a Metro Transit Police Department (MTPD) substation near the Fort Totten Metrorail station today. The District I substation will be named in honor of fallen MTPD Officer Marlon F. Morales, who was shot and killed while on duty in June 2001.
 
The three-story, 18,500-square foot building at 5315 1st Place, NE, Washington, DC, (adjacent to the Fort Totten Metrorail station parking lot) will serve as a home base for MTPD District I patrol officers. The officers will report to the building for roll call, training and other administrative functions.
 
Last year, the Metro Board of Directors approved naming and dedicating the new police facility in honor of Officer Morales, who was shot at the U St/African-Amer Civil War Memorial Metrorail station on June 10, 2001, after stopping an individual for fare evasion. Officer Morales died on June 13, 2001, as a result of his wounds.
 
“The station will serve as a permanent memorial to Marlon Morales who worked out of the current District I,” said Metro Transit Police Chief Polly Hanson. “I am pleased that Marlon’s family could be here for the groundbreaking, which is taking place during Police Week when the contributions of slain police officers are acknowledged and remembered.”
 
The Metro Transit Police Marlon F. Morales District I Substation will open in early 2007 and cost $4.9 million to build.
 
The District I substation will house administrative and detective offices, crime scene and evidence storage, meeting and training rooms, locker rooms and a gym.
 
Currently, District I officers report to a Metro facility at 900 Franklin St., NE, Washington, DC, which also houses a print facility and archive. District I officers largely patrol the northern portion of the Metrorail and Metrobus system. Metro Transit Police has a force of 400 officers.
 
The Metro Transit Police Marlon F. Morales District I Substation building is a registered project under the United States Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System for New Commercial Construction and Major Renovations. The building is Metro’s first registered green building and was designed by Metro’s architectural and engineering staff.
 

News release issued on May 12, 2006.