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Greenwood Starts Construction on New Police Department

GREENWOOD (KFSM) – Crews broke ground on a new $3 million police department Thursday (Sept. 18) afternoon. Greenwood Police Chief Will Dawson said the new...

GREENWOOD (KFSM) - Crews broke ground on a new $3 million police department Thursday (Sept. 18) afternoon.

Greenwood Police Chief Will Dawson said the new station is being built at the site of a former post office and physical therapy building at 250 Hackett Road. Crews will also be expanding that building to create the new police department.

"We're actually doubling the size of the existing building over there just now," Mayor Doug Kinslow said. "It's about a 10,000 square foot building and we're adding another 10,000 square feet to that."

Currently, the police department operates out of a small space inside city hall.

"Our police officers have been basically working in a closet for several years, so we’re very excited about the new facility," Dawson said. "There's very little you can do in a 1,000 sq. ft. Space, when you have 20 officers and this will allow us to expand actually have a lab for our CID to process evidence."

Once the new building is complete, Dawson said his officers will have a lab to process evidence, as well as two holding cells, two interview rooms and a training room.

"This will allow us to do other things to benefit the community and let them see what we do," Dawson said.

The new department is being paid for by a by a special quarter-cent sales tax voters approved. That tax will be in effect for the next 20 years, Dawson said.

Kinslow said he's excited the city is behind the new police department going up.

"To see something like this expand and the citizens to be behind it is very important for us to know that we have that support, so it’s a good feeling ," Kinslow said.

Construction on the new building is expected to wrap up in the fall of 2015.

 

 

 

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