D’Iberville PD opens their new police station

The new D’Iberville Police Station opened to the public today. News 25’s Sabria Reid takes us on an exclusive tour.

From a 4,500 square foot building to a 15,000 square foot building, the new D’Iberville Police Station is an enormous upgrade. At a cost of $5 million, security was a main design point. D’Iberville Police Chief Wayne Payne said, “It was kind of dangerous at our old police department and here it’s not. There’s so many safety precautions that one would have to pass through to get past this area.”

With an extra 10,000 square feet, officers have more room to do their job effectively. “At our old police department, we took reports, we arrested people, we bonded people all in the same little room.”

The station is located on Lamey Bridge Road right off of Interstate 10. It shares a parking lot with the D’Iberville Fire Station. Multiple conference rooms offer more chances to connect with the community for training. “We have several conference rooms that we can deal with our partners, our neighborhood watch groups, our coalition of preachers, our teachers, or principals that we work hand and hand.”

It took years to design the new D’Iberville Police Station, police chiefs and city leaders visited other police stations for inspiration. Captain of Chief Detectives Marty Griffin said, “Walked through what worked and what didn’t work, what did you wish you had those type things and we all just sat down at a table and went through it.”

The police staff couldn’t be more proud of their new work home. “They’re ecstatic. They’re extremely happy. They have the room. They have their own work spaces. They have all the new bells and whistles. It’s been a real moral booster for them.”