The Rockdale County Sheriff's Office opened a Southside Precinct, which is located at 3552 Highway 20 SE near Honey Creek, with a grand opening celebration Monday.

The new precinct is permanently staffed with deputies, investigators and office clerks, which will have normal hours of operation from 8am to 5pm Monday through Friday. Members of the public will be able to make reports, meet with investigators about ongoing cases, and obtain copies of accident and incident reports.

"I would like to thank former Sheriff Jeff Wigington for his efforts on getting this precinct open," Rockdale County Sheriff Eric Levett said during a ribbon cutting ceremony attended by local dignitaries Monday afternoon. "The added convenience of having another location for the community to make reports and pick up copies of reports should prove invaluable. Having this precinct will also cut down on response times for calls from the southern part of the county."

The 4,800-square-foot precinct building was purchased and renovated using Special Purpose Local Option Tax funds, collected from the penny sales tax for capital improvements throughout the county. The Southside Precinct project utilized $989,292 to renovate an existing building that was formerly a liquor store. The building also has a community space that can be reserved and used by Rockdale County residents.