Imagine if detectives at a modern sheriff’s office worked out of a closet, with just enough room to jam a desk in there.
Well, that has been the reality at the San Benito County Sheriff’s Office downtown headquarters, built in 1952 and formerly used as a jail. But sheriff’s workers have a major upgrade on their hands as they have moved this past week into their new office at 2301 Technology Parkway. The sheriff’s office will be sharing the 41,265-square-foot building with the planning and public works departments, though the space itself is much larger for just the county’s law enforcement agency. That joint move has been in the works for nearly two years, while the sheriff’s office in particular has struggled to operate in its outdated facility.
Other seemingly expected upgrades include having separate dressing rooms for men and women. In recent years, workers usually came to work at least partially uniformed, if not fully.
“It’s pretty interesting the way that our staff has adapted over the years,” said Sheriff Darren Thompson, who came from a long career at the Watsonville Police Department.
Thompson listed off improvements such as the more modern office space and secured parking – as the former spot near Fifth and Monterey streets was often a target for vandalism, he said.
“For me, I’ve done business in a modern building more than the others have,” Thompson said. “So I’m excited to get into something that’s designed for business and not custody.”
The county sheriff’s office new headquarters, meanwhile, places it just blocks from the Hollister Police Department.
Thompson said he doesn’t expect the geography to affect deputies’ responses to rural areas, but noted that the sheriff’s office will have the same delay into the city as police.
As for the move itself, it has gone slower than expected. Thompson expects it to last throughout this week, resulting in a more staggered approach for inhabiting the building. The project itself was delayed by a dormant development plan, difficulties with an elevator installation and a personnel shortage from the project manager.
Look for more soon on the three departments’ move.
