A look inside the new Moody Police Department

By Chris Basinger, Editor

MOODY, Alabama — After more than a year without a permanent station to call home, members of the Moody Police Department settled into their brand new building this week, designed to serve the growing city for years to come.

Former police chief Thomas Hunt began the initiative for the new building in 2021, citing the need for more space and the dilapidated old station, which had been hit by several tornadoes and showed signs of mold.

“Basically, we’ve outgrown what we were in,” said Moody Mayor Joe Lee.

“We used to be six officers, now there are 28. So we need to have a place where the guys can work from.”

As the project gained momentum in 2022, officers began touring other police stations, including Homewood and Alabaster, to gain inspiration for the design of their new building, according to current Police Chief and then-Patrol Captain Reece Smith.

“We developed a kind of hybrid plan and, you know, tinkered with it and tried to adapt it to our needs and finally settled on this plan,” Smith said.

“We felt it fit our department and will continue to fit our department in the future. I can’t imagine myself or Mayor Lee ever seeing this building fully utilized, but one day it will.”

Ultimately, the city decided to demolish the old building and build the new station on the existing site at 2900 Daniel Drive next to City Hall.

The official groundbreaking ceremony took place on February 1, 2023.

Since then, the police have been working from two locations – a mobile caravan in a parking lot opposite the station and a smaller town hall.

“There were ups and downs, but we made it through,” said Smith

The approximately $7 million project was largely funded by a bond, while about $1.5 million came from the American Rescue Plan Act and other city funds.

The new, two-story, 1,600-square-foot building provides numerous offices for the growing department, as well as additional space for storage and evidence.

“The biggest problem was space,” Smith said.

“We needed room to grow because we are a growing city and we believe the future is bright for the city of Moody. We want to be prepared for that rather than having to adapt.”

The new evidence room is three times the size of the previous one and is connected to a simple crime laboratory.

Outside the cell and the laboratory, to which only certified personnel have access, there are several lockers where officers can now deposit evidence for processing.

The new building also has a secure storage facility so that seized vehicles can be stored directly on site and do not have to rely on third parties.

Although the new station does not have a jail, booking options have also been expanded and the department can now book two to three people at a time.

Moody signs a contract with St. Clair County to house his detainees.

“We can incarcerate people, so for certain crimes, if it’s non-violent or minor drug offenses, we can do the entire process here at the police station and never have to go to jail,” Smith said.

Chief Smith also reintroduced a classic element of police interview rooms for the new station – one-way glass.

“We stuck to the old school. You know, that’s kind of going away, but we kind of brought it back,” Smith said.

Between the two interrogation rooms, each equipped with cameras and one-way glass, there is a room where officers can monitor and record the interrogations.

On the ground floor of the new station there is also a small fitness center for the department members as well as two changing rooms that can also serve as storm shelters for up to 100 people.

A retractable protective door in the ceiling can secure the changing rooms and an emergency hatch has been installed in case of emergency.

The new station also offers a wide range of services for citizens.

The St. Clair County Probate Office operates out of the building on Thursdays so residents can renew their vehicle registrations or register their boats – Mayor Lee was honored as the new office’s first customer.

The department also has a drop box for dropping off prescription medications and can facilitate fingerprinting using a digital fingerprint scanner.

“Today, many jobs require a background check, and applicants must provide their own fingerprints,” Smith said.

“This is a great service because something like this is very hard to find.”

Each year, the Moody Police Department also conducts a series of courses at the Citizens Police Academy, which can be held in the new building.

“You don’t have to be a Moody citizen to come, but we encourage you to. It familiarizes them with the law enforcement and police departments here in Moody, whether it’s dog operations or drugs that affect your area or the court system,” Smith said, adding that it usually starts in August.

“This is a great course if you have questions or are just wondering how things work.”

The department’s employees began moving into the new building on July 1 and are already feeling at home in their new premises.

“It worked out well. We were able to move all of our stuff in and then this week we got everything in place and got everything going,” Smith said.

On Sunday, the City of Moody will host a grand opening and open house at the new station starting at 5:30 p.m. to give citizens the opportunity to view it in person.

“It is a great benefit not only for our police department, but also for our citizens that we now have a state-of-the-art police department in our city where our 28 officers can do their duty,” Lee said.

“Most people may not think of the police department or the civic center as infrastructure, but they are. It’s infrastructure for your city and I think this mayor and the city council have done a phenomenal job of making that a priority and you can drive around our city and say that,” Smith added.

“We want people to come here and enjoy the city as much as we do.”