New "Law Enforcement Center" Nearing Reality

Work has begun on the "demolition phase" of a project to add a 19,000-sq.ft two-story addition to the existing 5,000-sq.ft police headquarters downtown.

The old Fire Station and old Rescue building are being torn down to make room for the new construction, which should begin sometime in the summer.

Officials decided to take care of the demolition now to take advantage of what Town Manager Steve Biggs called "a favorable bid environment."

"We are significantly below our original cost estimate on this phase," the Town Manager said. "It makes good fiscal sense to get it done now."

The work is being handled by the D.H. Griffin Wrecking Company of Raleigh at a cost of $63,800.

After years of planning, town officials decided last year to move ahead with what they're calling the new "Law Enforcement Center" after a report from Biggs warning that the police force--which a few months ago became one of the few law enforcement agencies in the country to earn full accreditation--was "bursting at the seams" in the old building.

"For the last few years, we've paid a lot of attention to our law enforcement personnel, and now we're at a point where we need to look at facilities," he told the Council.

The complex will be financed through a low-interest US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development loan.

Biggs said officials intend for the new complex to be "a contributing structure to the downtown environment" that will enhance the beauty of downtown.

Town officials have been working over the last few years to strengthen the police department, adding programs and capabilities as well as encouraging officers to obtain advanced training. As a result, the town has what Biggs described as "a first-rate police department."

Over the last couple of years, the department added a Forensics specialist, formed a Community Action Team (CAT), added several new Neighborhood Watch programs, added a new "Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) laser radar and scene mapping device," initiated the new "Crime Stoppers" program and more officers earned their "Advanced Law Enforcement" certificates. In addition, violent crime is down, and even traffic accidents and citations are down.