Mitchell County belatedly hosted a ribbon cutting for its new Law Enforcement Center last week, with State Sen. Ralph Hise as the guest speaker.
Construction on the center was actually completed last year, but the county delayed bringing in guests for a grand opening because the Mitchell County Sheriff’s Office and other county departments were overwhelmed with the response required after Hurricane Helene (downgraded to a tropical storm after slowing down over land).
“The Sheriff’s Office is truly blessed with this building here,” Sheriff Donald Street said in his opening remarks last week.
Street that the offices his staff previously occupied were inadequate to their needs.
“(Here), we have the privacy that we need,” he said.
“We have an evidence room that’s secure; … I’m not getting complaints that ‘my gun rusted in your evidence room.’”
Street, who announced that he will not run for re-election next year over the summer, said that he believes the new center has enough space for his office to grow under future sheriffs.
Hise spoke about the various crises that Mitchell County has undergone in recent years.
“We’ve seen fires, floods — we’ve seen a kidnapping yesterday,” the senator said.
Hise said that it’s important to give law enforcement the facilities and equipment it needs.
“Donald took me into the old facility years ago when I was getting my concealed carry permit, and it literally had tin walls with cardboard to separate the offices,” he said.
Street thanked Hise and other elected officials for supporting the effort to get a new center built.
County Manager Allen Cook also spoke, praising local sheriff’s deputies for their resilience and flexibility.
“Our folks have been very adaptable; we’ve had a crazy past year,” Cook said. “This right here is a Law Enforcement Center for the future; it’s big enough to fit our future needs.”
Cook said finished the center has been an important milestone in his own career.
“It’s been one of my first projects as county manager,” he said. “Being a new county manager, this is the (project) I stepped into.”
After the ribbon cutting, Street led a tour of the interior of the building and spoke at length about how the up-to-date features will help his staff in day-to-day work.
“This place is unreal,” he said.