CALDWELL, Idaho — After more than four years of planning and construction, the Canyon County Sheriff's Office is preparing to move into a new 82,000-square-foot headquarters designed to serve one of Idaho's fastest-growing counties for decades to come.
WATCH: Get a virtual tour inside the new facility
Sheriff Kieran Donahue on Tuesday gave community leaders and members of the media a first look inside the $27.6 million facility, which will consolidate many sheriff's office operations that have long been spread across multiple buildings on the county campus.
"It's more than just a new building," Sheriff Donahue said. "We finally have a place where we can accommodate them all."
For years, sheriff's office employees have worked out of limited space inside the Canyon County Courthouse and other nearby buildings. The new headquarters brings administrative staff, patrol operations, training facilities, emergency management resources and specialized units under one roof.
The facility includes a public-facing lobby, records division, interview rooms, dedicated areas for pretrial services and alternative sentencing programs, a modern dispatch center and expanded office space for employees.
County officials say the building was designed with future growth in mind.
Canyon County has been among Idaho's fastest-growing counties, placing additional demands on law enforcement, emergency response and public safety infrastructure.
The new headquarters also includes features focused on employee wellness and efficiency. Fitness facilities, locker rooms, report-writing rooms, quiet rooms for staff dealing with stressful incidents, lactation rooms and employee break areas with natural lighting are included throughout the building.
Specialized units will also benefit from the additional space. A dedicated SWAT bay houses tactical vehicles, equipment and briefing areas, while new kennel space provides accommodations for K-9 units. The building also features secure underground parking and training classrooms capable of hosting regional law enforcement training programs.
One of the facility's most significant additions is a new Emergency Operations Center, designed to coordinate responses during major emergencies such as wildfires, natural disasters, critical incidents and large-scale public safety events. The center includes advanced technology and large-scale display screens that can provide real-time information to emergency managers and first responders.
The sheriff's office dispatch center, which handles calls for nearly every law enforcement, fire and EMS agency in Canyon County, will eventually transition into the new building once equipment installation is complete.
Idaho News 6 has followed the project since its groundbreaking.
For Canyon County Commissioner Leslie Van Beek, the project represents an investment in the county's future.
Funded primarily through federal American Rescue Plan Act dollars, with the remainder coming from the county's fund balance, Van Beek said the new headquarters is only the first step in addressing the county's growing public safety needs.
"We are looking at how to move that aspect of public safety forward," Van Beek said. "The need for a jail is real."
County officials are already discussing future projects, including plans for a women's detention facility and additional jail expansion efforts.
Sheriff Donahue said sheriff's office employees currently working out of the courthouse are expected to begin transitioning into the new facility over the coming months.
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