Sheriff's Office holds substation grand opening

The Sheriff’s Office north substation is officially open, and Sheriff John Samaniego said the goal is to improve services for Shelby County citizens.

Several people attended the Oct. 19 grand opening, including Hoover police officers, county commissioners and members of the Greater and South Shelby Chambers of Commerce. Attendance, Samaniego said, showed the importance of the new substation’s location.

“It think it probably shows that it was definitely needed,” he said. “It’s not that we didn’t have a north station – it’s just the north station was located in Heardmont Park, and we weren’t able to deliver the services that we can here.”

In Heardmont Park, the substation served as a hub for deputies but didn’t allow citizens to file reports or renew permits. The north substation will have one full-time employee who can answer citizens’ questions. People will also be able to file incident and accident reports, get copies of reports, renew their pistol permit and speak with deputies.

“There’s space for you to sit down if you need to have a private conversation with a deputy,” said Deputy Debbie Sumrall.

Before opening the substation, people living on the north side of the county would have to drive 30 minutes to Columbiana. With its location at Greystone Park, the substation has 60,000 people within a 5-mile radius, Samaniego said.

“Just being on the 280 corridor is right in the heart of the people we serve on this side of the county,” Samaniego said.

Shelby County Commission Chairman Rick Shepherd said he is excited to have the new substation open. The location lines up with where a large chunk of the population and some of the largest neighborhoods are and helps improve services to the citizens.

“For the Shelby County Commission and Sheriff’s Office, our primary concern is quality of service for the citizens,” Shepherd said.

Samaniego had his eyes on opening a north substation when he was campaigning for Sheriff. The building and substation was completed in June, but technical difficulties with setting up telecommunications delayed the opening. Samaniego thanked everyone who helped during the process, including the county commission and those who helped furnish the office.

“It was kind of a group effort within the Sheriff’s Office, and it turned out very well,” he said. “The number one thing that is being done is the services are getting delivered to the citizens.”

The substation is located at 5511 U.S. 280 in Greystone Park, Suite 117.