BLACKSBURG, Va. – The Blacksburg Police Department officially has a new home.
The $16 million, 37,000 square-foot facility located in Downtown Blacksburg is just blocks from the previous station.
“They’re in such close quarters and this here will give them space, give them space to grow,” said retired Blacksburg Police Chief William Brown.
The building will bear the name of the last police chief: William H. Brown Building.
The training center will be dedicated to current chief Anthony Wilson, but that’s just one of the many rooms in the new facility.
One of the most interesting new features of the new building is the simulator room, where officers learn to de-escalate situations with this interactive wall.
“A computer-enhanced system where you’re interacting with a computer, learning to communicate simply and as complex as we’re going to run into,” said Chief Wilson.
After serving 25 years in Blacksburg, Wilson is retiring next week.
As he hands over the keys to the new station, he also hands over the keys to the department to incoming police chief Todd Brewster.
“To see what he’s handing me in this new building, I can’t be more happy for not only for myself but for our community becasue this is long overdue what we needed for our police department,” said Captain Brewster.
The Blacksburg Police Department is honoring its past while preparing for its future. Now, with the space to do so.