Opening ceremony, tours set for new Jackson police headquarters

A ribbon-cutting and public open house for the new Jackson Police Department headquarters has been set for 10 a.m. July 17.

The new facility is adjacent to the department’s former headquarters on West Jackson Boulevard. The department began transitioning into the new building in late May and completed its move by early June.

The 18,000-square-foot police headquarters is about six times larger than the department’s former home in the next-door building it shared with the Jackson Fire Department.

The new headquarters will be open for tours following the ribbon cutting until about noon.

While there will be limited parking available at the police building, city officials encourage attendees to park on both sides of South Missouri Street for the most convenient access point to the opening ceremony and tours.

Penzel Construction Co. of Jackson was the general contractor for the project, which had a final cost of just under $6.5 million, paid out of the City of Jackson’s financial reserves.

The building once known as the Jackson Police/Fire Complex will now be fully occupied by the fire department. Renovations to that facility will be funded by a public-safety sales tax approved by Jackson voters in April 2018. That tax has also enabled Jackson to add officers to the police and fire departments, provided for additional equipment and technology and paid for operational costs of the new police station.

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