STARKVILLE – Mississippi Highway Patrol Troop G, along with the regional offices for three other statewide agencies, have finally moved into its new building on Highway 25.
Sean Tindell, commissioner of the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, said the 25,000-square-foot building will be an asset when it comes to improving public safety.
“Having everybody working under one roof is going to help them with public safety in this area and, really, across the state,” Tindell said.
Tindell said the new building, located at 11355 MS Hwy. 25 on a donated parcel at Cornerstone Park, will house the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, Commercial Transportation Enforcement Division, Mississippi Highway Patrol Troop G and Drivers Services Bureau – all under one roof.
The new building will allow the Drivers Services Bureau to operate more efficiently, Tindell said, by providing space to handle more customers faster than the previous 2,000-square-foot building off MS Highway 182, which Troop G had been using for more than 60 years.
“It was outdated. Really, it didn’t even have enough room for all our troopers in that location,” Tindell said. “Now, we have that space.”
Troop G is one of nine MHP troops and covers 10 counties: Lowndes, Oktibbeha, Clay, Calhoun, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Monroe, Noxubee, Webster and Winston.
Derrick Beckom, master sergeant for Troops C, H and G, who worked at the previous building for 22 years, said he’s especially excited about the increase in space.
“It’s definitely a morale boost,” Beckom said. “I mean, 25,000 square feet – to walk into this building really makes you proud to come inside.”
The improvements, Beckom said, include offices for master sergeants and higher employees, a kitchen, a weight room, 14 bathrooms, a conference room and an assembly room to host district meetings, classes and training. MBI, which occupied the attic of the previous building, has more space and a vault to store evidence in the new building, Beckom said.
The site’s original groundbreaking was Aug. 3, 2023, said Mandy Davis, deputy commissioner for DPS, though talks of a new headquarters have been held for more than a decade.
Beckom said waiting for the new building to be finished, which took longer than expected, was an emotional rollercoaster.
“It took a while, and no fault to anybody,” Beckom said. “One minute it’s up, and you’re excited, the next minute there’s another waiting period, and so forth. (For it) to actually finally come to pass, we’re just really excited.”
Tindell said there were several obstacles along the way. The first was securing funding, which eventually came from the state legislature. The state appropriated roughly $16 million for the building’s construction.
District 43 Rep. Rob Roberson, R-Starkville, said having a building that fosters a positive work environment will benefit the community.
“The ability for residents to be able to get in here and out here and get their driver’s license and whatever (other) issues they may have … this is so much more conducive,” Roberson said. “Having people that love the environment they’re in – you can’t measure that.”
Tindell said Troop G had borrowed the former building on Highway 182 from Mississippi State University. Sid Salter, vice president for strategic communications at the university, told The Dispatch MSU will be using the previous building, but plans for its specific use are still in the works.
“When that determination has been made, we will make that decision public,” Salter wrote in a text to The Dispatch.
The opening of the new building, Tindell said, provides Troop G with adequate space to better serve to its fullest potential.
“The greatest asset that we have as a state are the men and women that get up each and every day and dedicate themselves to public service, making the state better,” Tindell said.
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