Council Bluffs police are preparing to put the finishing touches on their brand new headquarters near Madison Avenue and Woodbury.
The facility cost nearly $20 million and has been years in the making. "There have been several chiefs and administrations that have talked about it," current chief Tim Carmody told 6 News. "Because of the leadership and community and all the support of the citizens, we were finally able to put it together and pull it off."
On Wednesday, following a year-and-a-half of construction, the project will conclude and the doors will open. "We designed this so that we can stay on this same site and grow into the current structure for 25 to 50 years without expanding or having to add any wall space," Carmody says.
The 58,000 square foot headquarters is three times the size of the current building, which is located inside the Pottawattamie County courthouse. "There are services here that we're going to be able to provide that we couldn't provide in the old facility," Carmody says. "A variety of things that will enhance what we can do. We'll actually have a crime lab that our crime lab technicians can work in and do processing in instead of a kitchenette."
He says officers will have increased work space to do interviews and work on reports. They'll have their own space as well, instead of having multiple officers sharing space. "It'll give us a place to start and to build a legacy of the future in this department," Carmody says.
The current headquarters will be closed Monday and Tuesday so the move can be made. The doors to the new facility will open at 7 a.m. on Wednesday.
Voters approved the bond for the project in 2016.