KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Knoxville Police Department closed the doors at the Safety Building on Howard Baker Jr. Avenue for the last time on Friday.
They are moving into the new Public Safety Complex, the result of a years-long, $70 million project to build a facility that houses several safety departments serving Knoxville. The Public Safety Complex consists of three buildings built out of a former hospital, between St. Mary Street and Huron Street, located near Fulton High School.
According to KPD, the department worked out of its former building for around 60 years.
"Many women have come and gone in this building. They have worked, served, laughed and cried," said a speaker in a video KPD released about the move.
The Public Safety Complex will house KPD, the Knoxville Fire Department, the E911 backup system, pension system offices and the city court. There will also be a "real-time crime center" on campus, which connects a network of surveillance cameras in the downtown area to provide live feeds for law enforcement to watch.
It will also house a Lincoln Memorial University department, giving space for hundreds of nursing and dental students. Knox County and the McNabb Center are also partnering to create an urgent care and behavioral health facility on the campus.
KPD's new building address is 1650 Huron Street, with a mailing address of 1617 Saint Mary Street.
