WRBL tours the Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office’s new $16-million building

COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL)— Tuesday, City Council approved $345,000 to finalize safety technology within the new Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO). It is one of the finishing touches on a year-long renovation.

“This is a huge investment for us. The way that we solve crimes now, I can’t go into a lot of it, but let me just say this,” Sheriff Greg Countryman said. “We will be one of probably the only sheriff’s offices in the United States to work the way that we’re working right now.”

City Council approved to purchase the building in 2022 for $2.5 million, renovations have taken about a year with a $14 million budget coming from Columbus Building Authority Lease Revenue Bonds. The Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office alone has put more than $2 million in the latest technology.

“This building is tech savvy, we’ve invested a lot of money in technology to enhance the way that we investigate,” Countryman said.

The building has a $16-million price tag, technology being just one of the key perks. Other highlights of the building include a property and evidence area, and bay fashioned with a rack lift to inspect cars with gunshots, an emergency ordinance disposal bay to house bomb vehicles, health food rooms on each floor, a ballistics testing room to test weapons, media room, a live-fire simulator for both civilian and deputies training courses, fitness centers, mother’s workstation with a lactation room.

“We want to make sure that the building meets all of the needs that we can grow into,” Countryman said.

The building will even house a new Recorder’s Court courtroom and three judge’s chambers. Plus, the building completes a safety ‘quadrant,’ putting the sheriff’s office closer to the jail, Columbus Police Department, fire station, and the incoming GBI Gang Task Force.

“The way that we work together is going to enhance our ability to investigate, to solve crimes, to look into things that we normally had not been able to do,” Countryman informed.

In addition to technology, the new building will be able to host large trainings bringing the latest in law enforcement to Muscogee County.

Several units have already moved into the building; furniture was being moved on Wednesday. Once the building is officially open, WRBL will share that final look with you.

Previous Report: ‘This building will be a landmark,’ MCSO set to move into new administrative building by end of year | WRBL

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