MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. (SNN) — It took almost four years, but Palmetto police officers and staff have finally opened their new headquarters.
They say the opening of the new facility, located at 820 10th Avenue West, is “a significant event in Palmetto’s history.”
Officials say one of the biggest differences between the new building and the old building is the advanced technology.
“We have advanced smart security on this one. We have fobs, personal key codes, we have some facial recognition features in high security areas,” said Chief of Police Scott Tyler.
That’s just some of what the new building has to offer.
Officials say the old building was falling apart due to water getting in. They even had to shut down some of the bathrooms.
“We had areas where we had to remove carpeting, where walls had to be cut out, we had some limited mold issues, and things like that,” said Tyler. “So, now that we’re in this new building, this brand-new building, we’re really appreciative and we recognize that it really was tough working out of the old one.”
The new building is 21,000 square feet, which is about 8,000 square feet bigger than the old building.
But Tyler says the size of the building is just a bonus.
“It’s not just that it’s a bigger building, but it’s a more efficient building,” he said.
Tyler says the placement of each room is very specific, something the old building lacked.
“Things that need to be next to each other that can share necessary facilities like interview rooms are adjacent to each other. We don’t have to actually bring a suspect through administrative areas of the building to get he or she from one point to another,” said Tyler.
Officials say it cost over $10 million to build and was funded primarily by a Manatee County tax initiative for infrastructure and capital projects.
One officer says the new building has affected the department in more ways than one.
“I didn’t think a building would bring the morale boost that it has done. That’s been very, very nice and it makes our job a lot easier,” said Palmetto Police Officer Madison Peters.
Tyler says the new headquarters will serve both his team and the community for many years to come.
