After a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday evening, the new Hall County Sheriff's Office East Precinct in Lula officially opened for business.
"On behalf of all the citizens of Lula, and the business owners in town, I want to tell each and every one of you how much we appreciate you and what you do for us," Lula Mayor Jim Grier said prior to the ribbon-cutting. "And I want this precinct building to say that to you."
Sheriff Gerald Couch explained that the building was a substation for around 20 years, but had fallen into disrepair and was no longer usable.
"We got with the city of Lula, of course, and got their OK, and actually they did part of the work with us," Couch said. "We were very hands-on with the refurbishment of this building."
The Sheriff's Office spent $6,500 for its portion of the project with the money coming from forfeiture funds.
The building now has computer stations and telephone lines like the other precincts and officers can stop by to recharge their radio or body camera batteries.
Citizens can also stop by to see an officer face-to-face at a location near them rather than making the drive to Gainesville.
Couch said the choice to renovate the old building was not because of an increased crime presence, but rather to increase police presence.
"Thankfully crime has declined, last year especially, but we want to make sure we have an increased presence here and people know we're here to help," Couch said. "Actually just seeing an officer out on the street, or seeing them coming and going, that interaction is important... I want the people to see that our officers are members of the community. There's a person behind that badge."
The Sheriff’s Office operates three other precincts. The others include the North Precinct in Clermont, Headquarters in Gainesville and South Precinct in Flowery Branch.
