The City of Sierra Vista was founded in 1956 and the Sierra Vista Police Department was established in January 1957.

Between 1956 and 1958, the department operated out of a World War II-era corrugated metal Quonset hut located near the main gate of Fort Huachuca. In 1958, the City of Sierra Vista constructed a new city hall, where the police department remained until 1979, when it was relocated to the northernmost portion of the current City Hall location on North Coronado Drive.

In early 1996, the Sierra Vista Police Department moved into the City’s first ever stand-alone 22,500 square foot facility at its current location, just south of City Hall at 911 North Coronado Drive. The facility was expanded to its current state in 2011 with the addition of 19,000 square feet.

The first city vehicle, was a 1956 police cruiser