Crime & Safety
Cobb Nears Naming New Police HQ Location
Police Chief Mike Register says the building and its location would better serve his department and the county's residents.
From Cobb County: Cobb County’s long search for a new police headquarters may be coming to an end.
Commissioners are expected to vote Tuesday on a proposal to purchase the LGE Commercial Credit Union Office Headquarters off Fairground Street in Marietta. The five-story building would serve as the county’s Police headquarters, replacing the 46-year-old headquarters on South Marietta Parkway that the department outgrew years ago.
“We have people and units scattered across the county,” said Public Safety Director Sam Heaton. “This would allow us to put most of these people under the same roof and provide space for growth for the next 20 years.”
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Police Chief Mike Register says the building and its location would better serve his department and the county’s residents.
“We looked at other potential sites,” Register said. “But, it is important for us to stay centralized in Cobb. From this location we can get to the courthouse complex and county government building very quickly. It will also make it easy for residents from across the county to handle police business.”
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The move won’t happen right away. If commissioners approve the $13.5 million purchase, LGE will lease the building from the county until they can find a new location for their headquarters. The agreement allows them 24 months to completely move out, although they believe it will take significantly less time than that.
The new police headquarters is a project included in the voter-approved 2016 Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax. The program has $15.7 million remaining for the headquarters project. Excess funds, along with lease payments made by LGE, should account for relocation expenses.
The new building would be more than twice the size of the existing headquarters, and the cost of using this existing building would be half as much as building a new facility. The LGE building underwent a recent renovation and will need minimal upgrades. The IT infrastructure was also enhanced, making the transition to the county IS system easier.
“This will allow us to synergize our command operations and streamline investigations,” Register said. “It will allow officers and detectives to talk face-to-face to share information. Having the chance to put crime analysts, our high-tech unit and GIS technicians under the same roof will be a huge public safety benefit and help make the streets of Cobb safer.”
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