SLIDELL, La. (WGNO) — The Slidell Police Department is getting a new home and is moving out of its current Olde Towne headquarters. The department is relocating to a brand-new facility built on city-owned land off Robert Boulevard.
Chief Administrative Officer Daniel Seuzeneau explains the move is overdue, especially now that hurricane season is here.
“When a storm comes and it floods, the building may not flood but everything underneath all of our vehicles and everything would have to move,” said Seuzeneau.
Initially, the department planned to upgrade its current headquarters. Yet, the $23 million cost of renovations was $8 million over the department’s budget.
Seuzeneau says it will only cost $15 million to build a new state-of-the-art headquarters, a plan that saves both time and money.
“In the process of building a new facility, we don’t have to move out of here. Because that is quite a logistical nightmare to have to move everything here. We have five decades’ worth of evidence back here we are going to have to deal with,” said Seuzeneau.
The department isn’t completely leaving its Olde Towne roots. Seuzeneau says the department plans to maintain a substation in the historic area.
Slidell resident David Ticer says he’s happy with the plan to build a new headquarters.
“That makes me feel good because we need our police. We need our police, especially during disasters, because if you don’t have police, you end up with violence,” said Ticer.
The funds for the new facility are expected to be in place by the end of the year, with construction set to begin in early 2025.
“They say it could take a year in a half, two years, to three years depending upon the weather and other circumstances. So, we are hoping to be in the new facility by 2027,” said Seuzeneau.
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