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Sheriff’s Substation Back Open
July 8, 2009
For the first time since before it was destroyed by Hurricane Ivan, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Department substation in Walnut Hill was reopened Tuesday with regular office hours.
“It was a slow day,” said Danny Collins, a reserve deputy that manned the office on opening day. “I think it will begin to get a lot busier after it has been open for a little while.”
Collins said that just one person stopped by to file a complaint, and one other person called. That made for a long day for Collins, who retired from the Escambia County Sheriff’s Department in 2003 after 31 years of service.
“But I don’t mind being here; I’m glad to see this office open again,” he said. Collins and one other reserve deputy, Jimmy Kirkland, will alternate the duty of the keeping the Walnut Hill substation open on Tuesdays.
The Walnut Hill “Precinct 7″ will be open on Tuesdays from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. under the supervision of Lt. Carl Jones from the Century Precinct.
Jones said the precinct will provide the Walnut Hill Community with easy access to the Sheriff’s Department. Residents will be able to file a report, or just stop by and express concerns about issues in their community, he said.
“It will really make it easier for people in this community to have access to the department,” Jones said. “A lot of times people want to talk about what is going on in their neighborhood.”
Sheriff David Morgan told NorthEscambia.com when he was elected last fall that reopening the precinct was one of his North Escambia priorities. He said the precinct would be open on a “test basis” to determine if there will be enough walk-in traffic to justify keeping it open.
The building that housed the Walnut Hill Precinct 7 was destroyed by Hurricane Ivan back in 2004. Since it was rebuilt, it has not been open to the public. Deputies occasionally use the office space or restrooms in the building, otherwise the Sheriff’s Department space in the building has sat unused.
The Walnut Hill Precinct is located at 7850 Highway 97 in front of the Walnut Hill Community Center. During the Tuesday office hours from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., the office can be reached by phone at (850) 327-4974.
Picturd top: Escambia County Reserve Deputy Danny Collins mans the phone at the Escambia County Sheriff’s Department Walnut Hill Substation Tuesday afternoon. Pictured inset: The Escambia County Sheriff’s Department Walnut Hill substation will reopened Tuesday.. It had been closed since the building was destroyed by Hurricane Ivan. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
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