Rebuilding The Old Hattiesburg Police Department

HATTIESBURG, MISS. - Noticeable renovations are being made to the old Hattiesburg Police Department. Hattiesburg’s Mayor Toby Barker spoke about the renovations underway at the old department, and he also gave an updated timeline on when the police force could return to their permanent home. “Right now, what you have going on is the demolishing of the old 1950s Annex to the Old Methodist Hospital the parts that we are not going to keep,” Barker said. Through eliminating old parts that are no longer wanted and adding a new sewer system, Barker says the city could begin to rebuild the old police department within a matter of months. “That will probably happen sometime in the middle of the year once this current project is complete,” Barker said. “Once the sewer drainage and water are moved, then we'll actually be ready to break ground on the full police station.” For months, the Hattiesburg’s Police Department has been housed in a temporary building on Klondyke Street, which is something mayor barker wants to change. “Since 2012, there have been conversations about the need to establish a permanent home for our police officers,” Barker explained. “So, what we have done is started to do some of the prep-work in getting that sight ready, as we finalize our plans and try to make sure that we can get financing available for this project.” The new station aims to provide the police department with many well-needed upgrades. “The old facility at the Old Methodist Hospital at Edwards Hall was in deplorable conditions for officers,” Barker further explained. “It was not built to be a police station.” However, Baker says a change will come soon. Currently, there is not a set date and time for the new station to open, but the city could see a new design to the station within a matter of months.