It was a cold, blustery morning on Thursday, but the spirits of those assembled were high as the Dallas County Supervisors and Sheriff’s Office hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for the new law enforcement center.

The dirt work at the facility has been well under way and should be completed soon, but the County felt it was important to symbolically break ground on the facility that was five years in the making. Supervisor Chair Kim Chapman addressed the crowd first, thanking them for braving the elements. Chapman thanked specific people for their efforts in making the facility a reality, starting with Jerry Purdy from Design Alliance, the architecture firm that has been attached to the project since the beginning. He also thanked Sid Samuels, President of the Samuels Group, the consulting firm that helped inform the public of the facts surrounding the facility.

Finally, Chapman gave appreciation for Dallas County Sheriff Chad Leonard. “The third one I’d recognize for their great effort is a guy that just put in all kinds of hours. Meeting with individuals, meeting with groups, educating. Informing not only the need for this law enforcement center, but for the benefit of constructing this center on behalf of all the taxpayers in Dallas County. That’s Sheriff Chad Leonard.”

Leonard then spoke to the crowd and thanked the Supervisors, the civic organizations, and citizens groups that helped them organize informational meetings. He also thanked the employees of the Sheriff’s Office who helped give jail tours and continue to work hard in the less-than-ideal current jail facility. Once Leonard was finished, he was joined by his chief deputies, the Supervisors, and representatives of Design Alliance and the Samuels Group. They broke the ground for the new facility on the spot where the American flag will be placed.