MT. JULIET, Tenn. (WKRN) — In just a few weeks, the Mt. Juliet Police Department will open its new headquarters.

The city wants the building to feel like a new home for everyone.

Mt. Juliet's new police headquarters has been in the works since the March 2020 tornadoes.

After 11 years in the same building, the department has grown. Mt. Juliet Deputy Chief Tyler Chandler said just as the department has expanded, so has the need for the community.

When the department's current facility was first built, the city only had 44 police officers. Today, they've expanded to 86. The department is now expanding to a 54,000 square foot building.

“It would be a waste of money for us to build something that we would grow out of in five years,” Chandler said. “And this building, by our growth plan, brings us out to about 30 years, which is normal when you’re planning for growth.”

Chandler has overseen the new headquarters, taking on the role as project manager and gathering input from staff. Chandler said the new department has been a collaborative effort, and it will introduce some new amenities they didn't have before.

New features inside include must-haves for officers like a new crime lab, a larger evidence facility and a K-9 bathtub. The department will also hold their emergency response team in the building along with the return of their investigation unit, which hasn't been in the building for the past six years.

But this also gives the community something new, including a "Chief's coffee corner" and a public tornado shelter. Officers said the police department is never a fun place to be for most people, so they want to make the experience as best they can.

“Most people come to the police department on their worst day,” Chandler said. “They’re there to report a crime or a victim or witness to something or even a suspect. As bad as those experiences are, if we can do anything as a police department to make it a little bit better, warmer or friendlier, we hope by the redesign in this new building, it’ll provide something a little bit better for that person.”

The new department will open its doors on Sept. 22.

News Source : https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/middle-tn-neighborhood-news/mt-juliets-new-police-headquarters-will-soon-open-its-doors-hoping-to-be-a-safe-space-for-the-community/