The Metropolitan Police Department’s newest substation has only been open for a few days, but officers are already filling it with reminders of a fallen colleague.
Inside the briefing room at Hollywood Area Command on Thursday, a table displayed many tributes to officer Austin “Zade” Abdelnabi, who was gunned down in the line of duty Aug. 4. The items included a bouquet of blue and gold painted roses, a memory board signed by dozens of people, sympathy cards and a black baseball bat with a thin blue line painted horizontally across it and an inscription marking the fallen officer’s end of watch, among others.
Outside the briefing room, in the adjoining hallway, Abdelnabi’s headshot hangs on a wall along with portraits of other Metro officers who were killed in the line of duty.
Those are just a few of the reminders Metro had on display during a tour of the substation, located near South Hollywood Boulevard and East Sahara Avenue, following a Thursday ribbon-cutting ceremony. Sheriff Kevin McMahill said Southeast Area Command, where Abdelnabi worked, will close for maintenance starting Friday and that officers assigned to the 24-year-old substation will work out of the Hollywood Area Command for about nine months, until renovations are complete.
McMahill said Abdelnabi’s absence has been especially palpable as officers have moved into the new building, in which a locker has been dedicated to the fallen officer.
“This week would have been the week he would have been moving into this building,” McMahill said of Abdelnabi. “Packing up his belongings at Southeast Area Command, finding a spot over here. Aug. 4 changed that.”
A memorial for officer Charleston Hartfield, who was killed during the Oct. 1, 2017, mass shooting at the Route 91 Harvest country music festival, will remain in place at Southeast Area Command, a department spokesperson said in a release following Thursday’s event.
After work on Southeast Area Command is completed, “a whole new set of officers” will begin work at Hollywood Area Command, McMahill said. Southeast Area Command is located near the intersection of East Harmon Avenue and South Sandhill Road, about six miles from the new substation.
“Our level of service to this community will not change,” McMahill said. “In fact, it’s gonna be stronger than ever.”
Capt. Justin Byers, who leads Southeast Area Command, agreed.
“We’re just going to be in a different building,” Byers said. “Our commitment to the community, the southeast, is going to stay the same.”
The Hollywood Area Command substation, funded by a Clark County capital improvement program, will also serve as an important asset for the east valley community, McMahill said. Construction work on the new substation began last March, and the completed building will help boost Metro’s presence in the area as the population continues to grow, he said.
The facility is a fully operational substation equipped with a waiting room and kiosks for the public to file reports, an evidence vault and interrogation rooms, as well as offices and meeting areas.
Clark County Commissioner Tick Segerblom, whose district includes Hollywood Area Command, said Metro’s increased visibility in the area will hopefully deter criminals and give the public peace of mind.
“When the police are driving back and forth, the neighbors see that, the criminals see that, so that’s great for them, as far as making sure that neighbors are safe,” Segerblom said. “It’s a win-win for everyone.”
Contact Casey Harrison at charrison@reviewjournal.com. Follow @Casey_Harrison1 on X.
