The Hartselle Police Department celebrated the opening of its new offices on the campus of Hartselle Junior High School with a dedication ceremony Thursday.

The Offices of Special Services Building, which is located in the former IRC building, opened to the public for an open house following the ceremony.

Capt. Tom Sparks said the new offices would give the department much needed space for future growth.

“We’re outgrowing our current building,” Sparks said. “In the past, we had to send officers to other places to get training, but now we can do that in house. Plus, there is another room in the facility for us to grow.”

The facility includes offices for two full-time officers in the special services division of the police department, offices for each of the school resource officers and a 40-seat training room with a projector and sound system. It also includes a multi-purpose room that could be used for additional office space or for physical training exercises.

It also houses a training room for the Hartselle Citizens Police Academy, which will be used during its annual classes. They will also store equipment for the Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association for volunteers who help the police department.

That training room was also dedicated in honor of Bobby Webster. Sparks said Webster, who is a former president of HCPAA and police department volunteer, is a big reason why the new offices are ready.

“He worked on this facility eight hours a day ever since we were approved work in this facility,” Sparks said. “It was only fitting for us to name the police academy training room after him.”

Sparks said the renovations to the IRC building came at little if any expense to the city. Going forward, the only thing that the city will have to pay is utilities.

“Everything was donated for this facility by members of the community,” Sparks said. “Police officers and volunteers provided the labor. We appreciate everyone who helped make this a success.”