Huntsville Police Department Tour

September 21, 2021

Erin Juarez

On Tuesday evening, the LEAP Center and City Fellows students were given a wonderful tour of the new Huntsville Police Department (HPD), on 2821 FM RD West, by Corporal David Warner.

The tour began as soon as we stepped foot through their double door security to get to the waiting area, where Corporal Warner discussed the history of the HPD, its previous chiefs, and the new things that were incorporated to the new building in comparison to the old building, which was once a bank!

In contrast to the old building, they now have a cool-off room, a gym…

training room…

showers, a garage, more security (bullet proof glass and reinforced walls), and overall, much, more space.

All of which allows them to perform their job duties more efficiently, such as conducting meetings, training, and more. In this “backstage” tour, we had the opportunity to see most of the rooms and offices:  such as the interrogation room…

…supply room, and new additions such as a school resources officer office, evidence room…

…the chief’s office, narcotics office, and the detective offices. While in the supply room, we got to pass around the two kinds of vests that the officers use, the day-to-day basis one and the one they use before arriving at a “dangerous” crime scene.

The former of which was as light as a feather when compared to the latter of which weighed about ten pounds. Our tour then continued inside the patrol officers’ “office”, where we were able to see the TV that tracks where every officer is located- from the moment they report to an incident scene to the moment they leave the scene.

To put it in perspective, if a police officer was on duty at a high-school football game, we would be able to see the name of the officer, the location of the high-school, and the duration of time they have been there. It also shows how long it has been since any one of them has responded or reported to a scene.

Some of the more popular and favorite parts of the tour were the evidence, supply, and interrogation rooms. We were amazed by how the architect built and designed each factor and detail of the building to where no one can tamper with the evidence lockers or hear anything outside of an interrogation room. Another favorite aspect of the tour was Corporal Warner: he a great tour guide, very knowledgeable, and really illuminated the role and practices of the police.

On behalf of the LEAP Center and the City Fellows, we would like to thank Corporal Warner for taking the time to give us a tour of the new building….

…and even more thankful for everything that Corporal Warner and the rest of the officers do to keep us and the community safe.