This article originally appeared on Tyson’s Today.
After nearly three years of design and construction, the new, $14 million Vienna Police Department will soon open its doors to the public. The celebration is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 2 at 11 a.m. at the headquarters building located at 215 Center St. S. Local dignitaries will make remarks and cut the ribbon, and the public will be able to tour the new facility.
“This facility is going to benefit the community in so many ways,” said Vienna Police Chief Jim Morris. “From the community room to a modern public-safety facility that comes with body cameras, new radios, new in-car video, Vienna will be a prime choice for people looking for a career in law enforcement.”
In addition to modern amenities, the new police department includes a large multipurpose room that can be used by the community, serve as a training room or be used as an emergency operations center, when necessary. The building’s secure areas include a sally port for suspect transfers to and from the station, a firing range for training purposes, an up-to-date crime scene processing facility, dedicated computer server space, secure Town archive and evidence storage space, a dispatch center and enough administrative and office space to accommodate all sworn and civilian personnel.
“It will be nice to have everyone under one roof for the first time since 2007,” Morris said. “The bike team will move over from the Bowman House basement, the detectives will move over from the Town Hall basement, and property and evidence will move from two secure storage lockers on Mill Street to our new secure storage space in the building, making all police operations much more efficient.”
The new building replaces the 1994 structure that had been located at the same address. At the time it was built, it was expected to support the police department for more than 20 years, and it was utilized for more than 25 years until the department outgrew the space.
Furniture for the new building is expected to be delivered in mid-September. Officers will then begin moving in from the former Faith Baptist Church building, which served as the temporary headquarters during construction.
