Raleigh County Sheriff’s Dept. offers sneak peek into new building ahead of Monday’s opening

BECKLEY, W.Va. (WVVA) - The Raleigh County Sheriff’s Department gave the public a first look at their new department in Beckley’s Pinecrest Industrial Park on Friday.

Sheriff J.C. Canaday gave WVVA News a tour as well ahead of Monday’s opening. At 27,000 square feet, he said the new building is more than twice the size of the department’s old location on Eisenhower Drive. But as he explained, the old space had a lot more than time working against it.

“(The old building) was cramped in a lot of ways. We had 30 plus patrol deputies working on three desks the size of an average bedroom. The holding cell we had was very old and very small so we were limited in security.”

When deputies start work in the new building on Monday, they’ll find a space for all of their K-9s, a state-of-the-art gym, and a padded tactics room to practice the latest techniques.

“You can come here, work, workout, shower, and go home. I think it will be effective at boosting morale and keeping people in shape,” said Sheriff Canaday.

On the left wing of the building, there are separate spaces for all the road patrol officers plus room for growth. On the right wing, there are spaces for all the detectives, including state-of-the-art conference and interview rooms. Records and evidence will also have secure spaces.

Then, closer to the public entrance in front of the building, there is an instructional room that can also be used for other purposes such as press conferences.

While the sheriff said the new building and utilities will be an excellent recruitment tool for attracting quality deputies, he also hopes it is a building that will make the general public feel welcome.

“We’ve upgraded our entire network. We’re able to do things more quickly, keep things in a more secure environment, and when people come here, they have a nice place to come.”

As Sheriff Canaday pointed out in an earlier interview, the majority of their services will start in the new building on Monday, but it may take a week before they can get their concealed carry permit process online.

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