BATON ROUGE — The Metro Council has approved $500,000 to move a Baton Rouge Police Department precinct to Third Street, where street fights drew attention over the summer.

BRPD Chief T.J. Morse said the plan to establish a downtown precinct had been in the works long before the fights and the controversy around them.

"How government moves is pretty slow," Morse said. "This is something we've been looking to do for a long time."

The funded move will relocate the Highland Road precinct to Third Street. A substation is currently located across from the proposed precinct, but Morse said the new spot will have more resources for more officers.

The chief also pushed back on the idea that the move is a direct response to the fights.

"Really, one thing doesn't have to do with another," Morse said. "Downtown is the least amount of call volume in the entire city. We don't have a bunch of problems. That's not what we're doing the move for."

Videos of large crowds and fights on Third Street went viral this summer, prompting nearby business owners and residents to call for more police presence.

Arron Ingram, who works near Third Street, said he visits the area often and that people want to come out and have a good time. He welcomed the news of more police presence.

"Safety is a good thing," Ingram said, "It's always important."

Morse said BRPD will still own the space across the street from the new precinct and that the traffic division will likely operate out of that location.