From GwinnettForum staff
Chief Bill Grogan
NORCROSS, Ga. | The City of Norcross is moving ahead with plans to locate a new police headquarters and Municipal Court building, on land formerly of the Norcross Library. The site, fronting on Buford Highway between Norcross-Tucker Road and Jimmy Carter Boulevard, is expected to be completed within 21 to 24 months, that is, by mid-2025.
The new facility is estimated to cost $20 million, to be funded from SPLOST funds, fines and approximately $10 million in municipal bonds. The new headquarters will be approximately 33,000 square feet.
The city has purchased four additional parcels on the south side of Stevens Road, across from the former library, and will use this property for additional parking space. Stevens Road will no longer be a through street, but will become a cul de sac off South Peachtree Street.
At one time, city officials thought that the renovated library building would be sufficient to house the police headquarters. However, when evaluating space needs, especially anticipating the city’s growth and population, and police force size over the next 20-30-40 years, it was found that far more space would be needed in the police building, and that razing the library building would be the best path to take.
Norcross officials also recognized that, as is the case in many other cities, there are benefits of locating the Municipal Court near the police station. Both the Norcross police and its court currently operated out of City Hall, with the police operations being particularly crowded. In the proposed building, the Norcross police will also be able to store evidence for future trials, which is now stored off-site from the City Hall. There is also expected to be in the new facility a drive-in sally port to offload prisoners into the local jail.
The current Norcross police staffing is 49 sworn officers, plus 18 other staff members.
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