With all of the pomp and circumstance befitting the occasion, the Grantsville City Police Department unveiled its new $3.6 million justice center in January.
The officers, in dress uniform, along with Grantsville City leaders, held a flag raising ceremony on the brisk winter evening on Jan. 11 with help from the American Warriors in Action and Veterans of Foreign Wars. At the conclusion of the ceremony, the Grantsville High School Advanced Choir sang the national anthem.
Once inside, Grantsville City Mayor Brent Marshall described the improvements the new facility would offer the police department, which was formerly housed in some office space in City Hall.
“This new center will enable law enforcement to take its services to a higher level,” Marshall said.
Grantsville Justice Court Judge Ronald Elton also described the new courtroom in the justice center as a significant upgrade.
“We didn’t have the best of facilities in the old City Hall,” Elton said. “We had to make some great allowances and it was not really conducive to the effective promotion of justice and we’ll do that here.”
The new 12,947-square-foot facility on Bowery Street provided a number of improvements for officers compared to the congested former space in City Hall.
Officers now have personal desks and sergeants have separate offices, after the space was previously shared.
There are also multiple interview rooms near the secure sally port and a counter for DUI investigations, which were previously the same space. Evidence is more secure with dedicated space, two-way lockers and a locked fridge unit.
Some of the quality of life improvements for officers include a separate area to eat their meals, a kitchenette area that opens onto an outdoor patio, and a locker room with private showers. A gym in the justice center also gives officers a secure place to work out.
The new justice center is also expected to help with the recruitment and retention of officers, according to Grantsville City Police Chief Jacob Enslen.
“It will allow us to be more professional,” Enslen said, in a December 2017 interview. “… Just a lot of things will be much more efficient.”
While Grantsville City police opened its new facility in 2018, the Tooele City Police Department hopes to do the same in 2019. The city received a $9 million loan on Dec. 13 through the state’s Permanent Community Impact Fund Board for its proposed 21,000-square-foot public safety building, which will be built on Garden Street across from City Hall next year.