New police headquarters to be completed in mid-December

The Homewood Police Department expects to begin the move-in process at its new headquarters on Bagby Drive right before the holidays.

Construction on the $22 million headquarters, which will bring the police, jail, training and courts system all under one roof, began in June 2018. The project was initially anticipated for completion in summer 2019, but HPD Sgt. John Carr said rainy weather and permitting delays with Jefferson County have moved the completion date back to mid-December.

The three-story, 55,000-square-foot building will include a courtroom, training facilities, patrol room, 911 dispatch center, administrative offices and the jail. Carr said they will also have an office for an on-site IT person to handle technical issues.

Parking is an issue at the current headquarters at 1833 29th Ave. S., but the new headquarters will include around 84 public parking spaces in front of the building and 96 spaces in a secure lot behind the building for officers. The prisoner intake will be gated and more secure, Carr said, and the design includes a covered walkway from the private lot into the building and a metal garage for tactical vehicles.

Lt. Andrew Didcoct said the project is on track to stay within its budget so far.

Once HPD receives the certificate of occupancy, Didcoct and Carr said move-in will begin almost immediately. The police will move their dispatch center in segments to make sure there are always dispatchers available to answer emergency calls while their equipment is getting set up in the new headquarters. 

“They are our lifeline, they are our eyes and ears,” Carr said.

After dispatch, Carr said they will move the jail and office supplies and equipment for patrol and detectives over to their new location. Didcoct said the police department is currently working on the budget it will need to cover move-in and the additional utility expenses of a larger facility, beginning with the 2019-20 budget year.

The decision of what to do with the 29th Avenue South headquarters once it is vacant is in the city’s hands, Carr said, but HPD wants to maintain a downtown presence. He said that could be an officer placed in Rosewood Hall or, if the current headquarters becomes a retail or office development, the police may consider a small substation on the property.