How a new high-tech center will improve law enforcement in Tuscaloosa County
The Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Office has expanded its services with the opening of a new state-of-the-art patrol and technical services facility.
Tuscaloosa police, city leaders and others gathered Thursday for the open house and ribbon-cutting of the Sheriff Beasor B. Walker Law Enforcement Complex. The ceremony took place at the facility, which is at Investigator Dornell Cousette Street, next to Tuscaloosa Metro Animal Shelter.
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Tuscaloosa County Sheriff Ron Abernathy said the facility was tailored to fit the specific needs of law enforcement.
"With all of my employees I went to them and said, 'What do you need to do your job the best way possible'," said Abernathy during Thursday's ceremony. "This building is a working building where they'll be working in every day and helping to solve crimes here in Tuscaloosa."
The new facility includes an indoor firing range, a crime lab, a virtual reality training area and an auditorium. It also houses the department's records division, evidence division, K-9 division, patrol and technical services division and more.
Tuscaloosa County Probate Judge Rob Robertson said the new facility lives up to the legacy of its namesake.
"Sheriff Beasor Walker's impact on this community is evident and I'm proud to see his name on this building," Robertson said .
The facility is named after former Tuscaloosa County Sheriff Beasor B. Walker, a World War II hero who went on to serve as Tuscaloosa County’s sheriff for two decades. He died in 2013 at the age of 91.
Just four years after graduating from Tuscaloosa High School, Walker joined the U.S. Army and on D-Day, June 6, 1944, he landed on Omaha Beach. By the end of World War II, he was one of the most decorated combat soldiers in Alabama history. Among his many military awards were three Bronze Stars and two Purple Hearts.
He also served in the Korean War and retired from the Alabama National Guard with the rank of brigadier general.
As a National Guard commander, he helped keep the peace at the University of Alabama in 1963 when then-Gov. George Wallace tried to block the enrollment of two Black students.
Walker was first elected sheriff in 1970 and served five terms before retiring in 1990. Colleagues say he brought a military-like professionalism to the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Office.
Robertson thanked Abernathy for being influential in creating a facility that will cater to the future needs of public safety.
"As we move into a new age of public safety, this investment will prove to be critical," Robertson said.
Abernathy said the Law Enforcement Complex will serve not only the Sheriff's Office and surrounding law enforcement agencies, but the residents of Tuscaloosa County for many years to come.
Reach Jasmine Hollie at JHollie@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: High-tech facility named for former Tuscaloosa sheriff Beasor Walker
