LAUREL, Del. - The Laurel Police Department has officially moved into a new, larger facility, marking a significant upgrade for the department. A grand opening was held Saturday to celebrate the expansion.
Police Chief Robert Kracyla said the new space is a major improvement over the department’s previous location.
"We moved from a very, very small facility into a facility that's 10 times the square footage of the facility we just came from," Kracyla said.
The new building also includes several advancements aimed at improving police operations and community engagement.
"We have soft interview rooms here, so we can be much more sensitive to victims' needs. And when it comes to technology, we have the integration of technology into basically a real-time crime center," Kracyla said.
The facility also features an officer training room, a command center for emergency meetings, and a space designated for future mental health services.
The project has been six years in the making for the town of Laurel. The building previously housed Paul Laurence Dunbar Elementary School before it closed in 2018.
Councilwoman Robin Fisher said she hopes the repurposed building will bring new life to the community.
"We are celebrating history in twofold. A building for safety, a building that stood in segregation and worked its way into integration, which serves the community on so many different levels. And now stands as a building that will support the whole town," Fisher said.
The department is also making efforts to foster transparency with the public.
"We have the building opened up to them. Like, they can come take a tour through the building. We have presentations being done. Patrol and our detectives are doing a presentation. So it's all about transparency and working collaboratively with the community," Kracyla said.
The new facility, which cost $2.3 million, was funded through Delaware state grant support.