The Livingston County Sheriff’s Office and Chillicothe Police Department have announced plans to operate out of the same building. Sheriff Steve Cox and Police Chief Jon Maples brought the plans to the city administrator and county commission, and the plans are moving forward. The goal date for moving is May 10th.
The Chillicothe Police Department would be in the same location that it has been. The Livingston County Sheriff’s Office would move into 919 Jackson Street, which is the south portion of the building where the police department is housed. Cox and Maples say this will allow the agencies to work more closely together, save money, and better exchange information and assistance.
Entry to the agencies would be through the north side of the building, where the public currently accesses the police department. The sheriff and police chief say the agencies see people come in almost daily who actually need to see someone from the other law enforcement office.
The offices are working on getting computers, phones, and other electrical lines run so that downtime can be minimized.
Cox and Maples are also working on having joint investigations of what they consider “very serious crimes.” This would include a specialized group of officers trained as a sexual assault investigations team. The agencies note this will save money and time and provide a better service to residents.
The Missouri driver’s license exam office and Rumery and Associates are currently housed on the south side of the Chillicothe Police Department building. Still, they would move into the administrative portion of the current Livingston County Sheriff’s Office at 901 Webster Street.
Livingston County plans to keep the current sheriff’s office building, as the former jail area is used to store county office records. That portion of the building is to remain secure and only be accessible to county employees.
Maples and Cox report the sheriff’s office building was completed in 1978 and originally planned to house the sheriff’s office, jail, and police department. It was also planned to have a full basement and the ability for a second story. They say it is unknown why some of the original plans changed. It is their understanding the basement was dug but filled with sand when the plans changed.
The building has only housed the sheriff’s office and jail, but the jail closed in December 2012. Detainees have since been housed at the Daviess-DeKalb Regional Jail. The sheriff and police chief noted that it has saved Livingston County tax dollars compared to staffing and operating a jail.
