LOWELL, Ark. (KFSM) — Law enforcement and lawmakers gathered in Lowell to witness the opening of the new State Police headquarters.
The facility also houses a new state crime lab along with offices for other agencies.
The Arkansas State Police and the State Crime Laboratory hosted local law enforcement and legislatures to see this new $14 million building Friday (Jan. 24).
“It’s a major transformation and upgrade for our troopers and the support that we give them,” said Governor Asa Hutchinson.
Together with the new state crime lab, law enforcement in Northwest Arkansas will no longer have to spend countless hours driving back and forth to Little Rock.
“Now if they have a drug or something that needs to be tested they just simply drive it by here in Lowell drop it off and go back to work,” Hutchinson said.
For Troop L and other local law enforcement agencies, this facility offers more room to work.
There are also offices for criminal and crime against children investigations.
“Our old headquarters in Springdale is very small headquarters, again we couldn’t even hold a troop meeting there," said Bill Bryant, Colonel of Arkansas State Police.
With 36% of all drug and toxicology testing coming from Northwest Arkansas, this new space makes officer's jobs more efficient.
“This facility here will now enable our Arkansas State Police to put all of our assets and services under one roof,” Bryant said.
Governor Hutchinson says this new facility falls in line with his commitment to law enforcement.
“They do very dangerous work, they need to have the best equipment and they also need to have a place that they can work out of that’s top quality,” Hutchinson said.
Arkansas State Police says officers and deputies made weekly visits down to Little Rock.