MOUNTAINBURG (KFSM) -- One local police chief and eight officers are in the process of moving into a new police station.
For almost seven months, renovations to turn an old house into the new Mountainburg Police Department have been underway. "It was one of my dreams when I first started as Chief to get us our own space," said Mountainburg Police Chief Vincent Clamser. "Everyone, from the newest guy to the guy that has been here the longest is really excited," Clamser added.
Many folks in Crawford County didn't even realize the Mountainburg Police Department didn't have a station. For years, they've been operating inside a 200 square foot room inside city hall.
"Now we're going to almost 800 square feet so it's really great when we have to do interviews with suspects or victims of crime," said Chief Clamser. "We never had a private place to do that."
The old house sits in Mountainburg City Park and was donated to the city years ago. It was used for storage before it became home to the police department. Inside, the station has a lobby for visitors, an evidence room, a detective/interrogation room, a work space for the eight officers on staff, an office for Chief Clamser, and a fenced-in yard for their K9 Officer, Duke.
"This is a community building, it's open to the public, and we want people to come in and enjoy it," Chief Clamser said.