GREENWOOD (KFSM) -- The Greenwood Police Department will move into a new building by the end of September after working from the city hall for the past decade.
Before that, the department worked out of a remodeled house. Now, after almost a year of construction, the nearly $3 million facility will be ready soon.
“We are really excited to get into a new location -- prime location in the center of town. It is a beautiful facility, inside and out and we are ready to get moved in,” Capt. Richie Wolford said Wednesday (Sept. 9).
While some parts of the building are ready, there are a few final touches to have to be made -- like painting, and connecting the phone lines and the Internet.
Wolford said instead of being handcuffed to a bench at City Hall, people arrested in Greenwood will now be put in one of two new holding cells. One of the other main upgrades in the building is the evidence room.
“Patrol officers will utilize this when they have evidence to process," Wolford said. "We will have some chairs set up here, laptops. They can sit down here, process their evidence, and then they will submit it to these lockers. We even have a refrigerated area for different biological specimens that may need to be submitted."
Also inside the building is something the department does not have now -- a fingerprint fuming station worth over $4,000, paid for by a grant.
Wolford said the move will not only be an adjustment for the department, but also for city employees who work under the same roof at City Hall.
"We are going to miss them. And I hope they miss us,” Wolford said.
Sept. 21 will be the first day everyone will come to work in the new building.
The building is being paid for by a 20-year quarter-cent sales tax. Wolford said they are right under budget and any extra funds will be used for office supplies.