Video: Phone Installation Issues, Elevator Cause Delays For New Police Headquarters

TUPELO, MISS. (WCBI) – This will be a big week for Tupelo Police Chief Bart Aguirre, as he plans for final inspections at the new headquarters on Front Street.

“We’re just getting so close, this week is set aside for owner training, where we will meet with each subcontractor and meet with them on , the operations of the building,” Chief Aguirre said.

The new, 34,000 square foot building was supposed to be ready in mid August, but issues with the installation of the phone system, and the elevator, have set things back.

As workers finish on the exterior, inside, engineers are installing the elevator. Furniture is in place and the alarm system should be up and running , and tested sometime this week.

Chief Aguirre says officers are ready to move into the new, state of the art headquarters.

“They’ve been chomping at the bit, every chance they get, they get a pass to go out there, take a look around, walk through it and kind of look at their little spots, where they will be assigned,” he said.
The $10,000,000  building is the first new police headquarters in Tupelo in 50 years. Chief Aguirre says even if construction had stayed on schedule, it would have been tough to move into the facility this summer.

“We’ve had officer involved shootings, we have had some protests, marches and other activities that have really kept us from focusing too much attention on our police headquarters,” Aguirre said.

The chief says the new building should be open for business the first week in November.

The Tupelo Police department has been working out of a building at the airport for the past year and a half. Chief Aguirre says water and light has taken over a building on court street once used by the police. The chief is not sure what will become of the old headquarters on Front Street that had issues with black mold.