Joined by his administrative staff, St. Tammany Sheriff Randy Smith broke ground Wednesday (March 8) on the new 3rd District Criminal Patrol Station.
The site of the future 3rd District Station is located just off Highway 21 behind the Covington Target, which is near the exit/entrance ramps to Interstate 12. This location reinforces Sheriff Smith’s promise to improve response times, centralize manpower and increase visibility in the community as St. Tammany Parish continues to grow in both population and the number of commercial businesses.
In March 2022, Sheriff Smith announced the restructuring of patrol districts and the addition of a patrol district, increasing the number of patrol districts from three to four.
Not long after, Sheriff Smith also announced the purchase of the property at 16189 E. Brewster Road, Covington and began the process of advertising for bids for the construction of the new permanent 3rd District Station.
The 5,500 square foot building will mirror the look of the Slidell Law Enforcement Complex on Brownswitch Road in a smaller scale. Cox Parker Contractors out of Mandeville won the bid for the project and are expected to begin construction soon with a completion date anticipated for Spring 2024.
The 3rd district stretches from the Tchefuncte River west to the Tangipahoa Parish line and is home to approximately 54,000 residents in addition to the countless others who travel to the area to patronize and visit its many businesses and shopping centers.
In addition to 28 patrol deputies, the new station will also house property crimes investigators, community relations deputies, traffic deputies and representatives from the agency’s Crisis Intervention Team. Upon its completion, the new station will replace the temporary location that has housed the 3rd District Offices since the new patrol district was established.
“Since taking office, I have been dedicated to making the best use of taxpayer dollars while holding true to my promise to improve response times and increase visibility in our community,” Sheriff Smith said. “The construction of this new patrol district office on the western end of our parish is a good thing for St. Tammany, and I am excited to see it come to fruition.”
“The location is ideal and was chosen as it provides easy access to Highway 21 as well as to two separate I-12 exits,” Sheriff Smith added.