Old 911 center now new home for sheriff’s patrol division

For many years, the location of the new Laurens County Sheriff’s patrol division was home to where 911 emergency calls were received. This past week, it became home to patrol deputies.

Laurens County Sheriff Larry Dean said he appreciates the County Commissioners allowing them to have and transform the former 911 center. The sheriff’s office and the 911 center was built in 1991. Since then, they have more than doubled the number of employees who work at the LCSO.

“When 911 got the new building, the county commissioners kindly gave us their old building,” Dean said. “Our patrol and traffic division moved over there and that gave us a lot more space and room for the deputies. We were able to get more computers and stuff over here. The county gave us so much money for furniture and to redo the building, and that’s what we spent it on and we stayed in budget with that.” 

The majority of the work was done by inmate labor. 

“It is nice to have this new building,” Dean said. “The deputies really appreciate this and absolutely love it that the county commissioners gave us that building.”  

The deputies moved into their new digs last Tuesday, said sheriff’s Cpl. Brandon Zuckerman. Deputies used to have to log their reports in a smaller room in the main building of the sheriff’s office.

“Now we have more computers, and deputies don’t have to wait on a computer to come free,” Zuckerman said. “We have four for patrol. The lieutenants and sergeants for all of the shifts have their own offices. They do not have to take another computer to do their work. When we are all here for shift change, we aren’t all piled up in a little room. We now have a big wide open room and space where we can move around.”

The new space has its own kitchen area, which is a little more quiet. They also have a place to park closer to their part of the building.

“It is a little more secure, too,” Zuckerman said.

For the public, especially those wanting to file a report, they will not have to go into the main building where they usually talk with a deputy in the big lobby with other people coming in and out.

“Here, we have an office to hear complaints,” Zuckerman said. “We have a computer and phone, and we can shut the door and have more of a private conversation. 

“When people usually come up here they are normally upset about something, like property being stolen or maybe a domestic situation they had with somebody. Over here we can kind of seclude that, and they don’t have to worry about everybody being in their business.”