Oxford Police Department settles into new state of the art headquarters
The new headquarters features a Phlebotomy Room, along with Victim Services Section where minors can wait as their parent talks with investigators
OXFORD, MISS. (WCBI) – For Oxford Police Chief Jeff McCutchen, there were some priorities when planning the new headquarters.
“One of our biggest features was flow, we wanted intentionality within the building, and not to move in day one and not already be outgrown,” Chief McCutchen said.
The chief and his team were able to reshape the 40,000 square foot former Oxford Enterprise Center.
At the center of the building, sits dispatch.
There are interview rooms, accessible from the rear of the building, evidence intake and processing, with special features to ensure evidence is properly tracked and secured.
There is even a phlebotomy lab, where certified officers can draw blood from a suspect.
“The quicker you can get evidence and observations, you may need to apply for a search warrant and when you get the warrant, you may need to get the blood, because if they have operated a vehicle under the influence of a narcotic, the quicker you can get the blood the better opportunity you have to give the victim justice,” Chief McCutchen said.
There is a victim services section, with a room where minors can wait while parents are talking with investigators.
It’s also equipped with video conferencing capabilities to make it easier for victims to share their stories with police and other professionals.
A family room helps ensure victims don’t miss court dates.
“You may not have child care, guess what, you do here, if you have domestic violence charges you are going to help fight, your children can come here, hang out with us, we watch them and then you can go to court and not expose them to that trauma,” McCutchen said.
The state of the art headquarters not only means that everything is under one roof, but there is also room to grow.
“We could have filled the entire facility, but that would have been short sighted on our part. Law enforcement has changed so much, in our six years here in leadership positions, what will it look like. We need space to adjust and this building creates that,” Chief McCutchen said.
There is also a fully equipped gym with a separate entrance for officers who want to get in a workout on their day off.
Total cost for the new headquarters came in at $12 million.
