Gwinnett County commissioners last month agreed to spend more than $6 million to expand the county’s police training center.
But the county’s police chief said Tuesday that more expansion projects will be needed to keep up with a growing county.
The police department is conducting a needs assessment, Gwinnett Police Chief Brett West said. While the $6.2 million, two-story training center expansion will make a difference for recruitment classes who now have to share lockers and line up for showers, the department is still short of space, he said.
“We struggle to find a physical place to put someone,” West told commissioners. “It makes it hard to operate as a cohesive unit when you’re spread out.”
West said the department’s headquarters is just two-thirds the size it needs to be. And the county’s continued growth will necessitate more officers, more headquarter functions and more storage space for vehicles and evidence, the chief said.
In addition to greater space at headquarters, West said the police department needs a SWAT and bomb-squad building for training along with a maintenance building to handle vehicle work. There’s also a need for more parking, including covert parking for undercover officers.
The expansion of just the headquarters building, he said, could cost more than $65 million. While the other projects have already been funded, no money has been set aside for that project.
Most of the proposed expansions are in the planning stage; construction on the training center is expected to start in July and be finished next year. That project, at 854 Winder Highway in Lawrenceville, will have offices, training rooms, and a multipurpose room with a physical ability course.
The expansion requests come as many places are experiencing an increase in crime, and as local governments respond to calls to change policing practices. Earlier this year, Gwinnett County created a Police Citizen’s Advisory Board that aims to improve the public’s understanding of policing, while acting as a forum for resident concerns about law enforcement.
West told commissioners that about half the county’s recruits quit before becoming officers, some because of outside pressure from friends and loved ones. He said a better workspace might encourage more people to stay.
“Any time you can show folks the capabilities of the environment they’ll work in, it’s an advantage,” he said.
The county’s police department has 905 authorized police officers, and additional employees throughout the organization. It’s the second-largest police department in the state.
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