MARTINSVILLE, Ind. — It's a project years in the making, and on Tuesday, it reached another milestone.
Leaders for the city of Martinsville broke ground on the new police department downtown. It will be located on the corner of West Morgan and North Mulberry streets.
"Onward and upward," Martinsville Police Chief Rick Lang said. "That's our motto right now, and we can't wait to be in our new place."
The current police department is about 1,500 square feet of office space inside the City Hall.
"You can see how we're cramped in here," said Lang, showing off a small office for his deputy chief and a sergeant.
Plus, around the corner and up the stairs is one wide-open room shared by several officers and detectives on staff.
"This is where our detectives interview people with some of the worst things that have happened in their lives," Lang said. "Confidentiality is hard to maintain here because people walk in and walk out."
In addition to the tight quarters, Lang said the department is hard to find, as it's tucked away inside City Hall.
"There is no building in the city of Martinsville that says 'City Police Department,'" Lang said.
In fact, Lang referenced photos inside the department that show it's been the same for decades.
"The building is no different, but the personnel has tripled," Lang said. "We do need, obviously, a home to go to that we can do our job effectively, and that's what we're really looking for."
City leaders say the department will get just that in its new building in 2024.
It's expected to be more than 13,000 square feet for about 28 officers. It's also positioned right next to the Martinsville Fire Department.
"The new department is going to give these guys and gals a home," Lang said.
City officials said the new department is a $5.7 million project. Lang said the money to construct the building is a lease bond from the Redevelopment Commission.
"They are betting we are going to grow, so they are investing in us," Lang said.
Lang said the city will start repaying that loan once the building is complete.
"Going that direction, it's going to be less of a burden on the taxpayers here," Lang said. "It's going to be spread out over 20 years to pay it back. We're all about being less of a burden to the people we serve."
Construction on the new police department is expected to take about 11 months, with a goal to open in late 2024.