photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

The office space housing patrol operations within the Public Safety Building is pictured on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office has officially settled into the new Public Safety Building next to the county jail, providing an expansive space for staff.

The department is occupying the main level of the new Public Safety Building – right next to the Douglas County Correctional Facility, 3601 E. 25th St. The floor has 25,565 square feet of space as well as a garage that will eventually house all of the equipment and vehicles for the Sheriff’s Office and other departments in the building.

photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

The evidence processing room for the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office inside the Public Safety Building is pictured on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026.

Douglas County Sheriff Jay Armbrister told the Journal-World that the new building gives the Sheriff’s Office almost double the space it had before, when it was housed at the Judicial and Law Enforcement Center. He said all of the detectives, deputies, lieutenants and sergeants have their own offices.

“We’re 100% staffed,” Armbrister said, adding that Douglas County commissioners determine whether or not they receive additional staffing. “It just gave all of the people who currently work for us a place to actually have their own (space), plus about 10% or 15% extra space.”

“I would say we’ve doubled the space that we have on the second floor there,” Armbrister said, referring to the previous space utilized by the department at the JLEC. “… The space is nice, and we have room to grow into the future.”

Armbrister said the warrants division used to be half as big, and the new building gives the people working in the division more space. The building even includes a new gym featuring a variety of equipment such as treadmills, strength machines, free-weight equipment and benches.

photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

A gym for Douglas County Sheriff’s Office staff and deputies inside the Public Safety Building is pictured on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026.

The new building is also meant to have all of the Sheriff’s Office operations in one area, Armbrister said. In addition to the jail being next door, all of the department’s vehicles and equipment will be in one place.

“The best part of this whole thing is being here with the rest of our employees,” Armbrister said. “We’re all on one campus. We’re all together … There’s more of a family atmosphere having everybody together under two roofs that are closer together.”

Before the Public Safety Building, Armbrister said the department had been leasing a building near the Hallmark Production Center on McDonald Drive to store dive equipment and boats for the department’s dive team.

“We pay about $22,000 a year to lease that space,” Armbrister said. “But it’s got our big boat, our little boat, all of the dive equipment … plus an office. So once that lease is up, we’re going to move everything into here. So it’ll save us a lot of money every year, but it’ll also put everything here together.”

photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

When visitors enter the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office at the Public Safety Building, they can wait in a designated seating area before interacting with staff.

The new building also gives the department better access to state highways, Armbrister said. When the Sheriff’s Office was at the JLEC, it was difficult to get anywhere in a reasonable amount of time because staff and deputies had to drive through the city.

“With having our patrol division here, you can get on K-10 (Highway), and you can go east and you can be west,” Armbrister said. ” … Everything is just going to really ease up for us.”

As the Journal-World reported, the Douglas County Emergency Communications and Emergency Management are located in the basement of the Public Safety Building. Emergency Communications operates the 911 dispatch for police, fire and medical responders. Meanwhile, Emergency Management coordinates disaster preparedness, planning and community resilience before, during and after major crises.

The Public Safety Building is a part of the largest capital improvement project in the county’s history. Douglas County commissioners approved the costs for the JLEC and Public Safety Building project at the end of 2024, totaling nearly $82 million, as the Journal-World reported.

The costs for the project expanded in August 2025 when county commissioners approved an additional $6.6 million to complete some of the construction of the Public Safety Building so the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office could move in sooner than previously scheduled.

County commissioners authorized staff to prepare a $55 million bond sale – which is a type of debt – to finance the project. The county also committed $25 million in cash to go towards the project at the time of the bond sale. The additional $6.6 million for the second phase of the Public Safety Building was funded by reallocating existing CIP funds.

Overall, Armbrister said the department is thankful to the Douglas County Commission for making their dream of moving out of the JLEC a reality.

“It worked out for everybody,” Armbrister said. “We’re just really thankful for it.”

photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

A conference room within the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office is pictured on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026.

photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

Cubicles on the first floor of the Public Safety Building, which houses the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, are pictured on Monday Aug. 31, 2026.

photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

An interview room for individuals speaking with Douglas County Sheriff’s Office staff is pictured on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026.

photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

A child-friendly interview room for Douglas County Sheriff’s Office staff is pictured on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026.

photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

Vehicles owned and operated by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office are pictured on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026.

photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

Douglas County Sheriff’s Office deputies store evidence in lockers at the Public Safety Building.

photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

Douglas County Sheriff Jay Armbrister’s Office is pictured on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026.

photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

Douglas County Sheriff Jay Armbrister’s Office is pictured on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026.

photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

The Public Safety Building, 3605 E. 25th St., is pictured on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026.

photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

An entrance of the Public Safety Building is pictured on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026.

photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

A break area within the Public Safety Building is pictured on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026.