Renovation, expansion complete at Collins Police Department

COLLINS, Miss. (WDAM) - A two-year project to renovate and expand the Collins Police Department is now complete.

Phase one began in the summer of 2020, with work to add ADA-accessible doors and parking areas. Upgrades were also made to the lobby, offices and dispatch.

Last spring, phase two started. It included the construction of a new booking area, a break room and a store room.

A new secure entrance for patrol cars, called a sally port, was also built.

“(The sally port) improves the custody and control of our jail facility and the police department,” said Collins Police Chief Joey Ponder. “It streamlines the way we book people and process them and overall, makes things a lot easier.”

A federal community development block grant in the amount of $450,000 was paid for the renovation work. The grant also funded renovation work at the R.E. Blackwell Memorial Library in Collins.

A state small municipalities grant for $150,000 funded the expansion. The City of Collins also put up more than $100,000 in matching funds.

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