Olive Hill PD plans for new station

By: Jeremy D. Wells

 It will likely be next year before they get to move in, but the Olive Hill Police Department is looking forward to new digs that, according to police chief Bobby Hall, will give the department, “ten times the room” they have in their current location. 

The new police department will be housed in the old health department building, which the city acquired from the county back in June in exchange for $30,000. Work began on the building shortly thereafter. Hall explained that some demolition work has been done on the building already, removing walls and “getting what we can done.” Most of the contractors they’ve talked to about bringing their plans to life, though, are already busy and won’t be able to begin work until next spring at the soonest. 

Despite the delay, though, Hall has been busy making plans for the new space. These include the addition of a sally port and a training room on either end of the existing building, and a new roof to be built over the entire structure. 

The current plans include two interview rooms, office space for the chief, staff, and detectives, squad room, locker room with showers, four rest rooms, an intoxilyzer room/booking room, evidence and two other storage rooms, audiovisual room, lobby, and the aforementioned training room and sally port as well as a recreation room. 

The only thing it doesn’t have is a sleeping space, in the event that officers needed to spend extended time there during a natural disaster or other emergency. But, Hall noted, there is sufficient space for the department to procure and store roll-away cots or other options for officers and first responders who need to grab a little shut eye. 

There is also room for additional growth if it becomes necessary. But Hall said the current plans – which were distributed to city council along with Hall’s report during council’s last regular meeting – are fairly comprehensive. 

“It addresses everything the city could think of for the next 50 years,” Hall said. 

Contact the writer at editor@cartercountytimes.com.