New Sheriff’s Office about 40 percent complete, should be finished by Oct.

The new St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office being built on Sugarland Parkway in Luling is coming along quickly and is expected to be in use by the end of the year.

The new building will house all of the investigation units, such as the crime scene, patrols, K-9, and marine divisions.

All of those units fall under Major Sam Zinna as the criminal investigations bureau commander.

Major Zinna said he is glad that the investigation units will have more space.

“(The units) will have more sufficient room than the should-be-condemned building that they have now in New Sarpy,” Zinna said. “For example, crime scene will have more space and they can do some things that they are not able to do now. Now, it’s real cramped – it’s a very small room.”

The new building is about 40 percent complete, according to Zinna, and is progressing “extremely well.” He expects it to be done in early October.

The new addition will be a modern building, according to Zinna, that will withstand 150 mph winds and will have sufficient office space not only for what the units have now, but also for what they may add in the future.

The building will be 39,000 square feet and two stories tall. There will be four general bathrooms with a total of eight showers, as well as private bathrooms and showers in some of the commanders’ offices.

A main feature of the building will be a large multi-purpose room where the Sheriff’s Office can hold training classes and meetings.

The building will also have the latest audio/visual technology, a juvenile “sleep area” with a private bathroom, a very large vehicle and storage facility that will accommodate special vehicles such as boats and mobile command units, an animal area for the K-9 dog units and two full-sized kitchens.

Thanks to the number of showers, the amount of sleep space, the kitchens and the ability to hook up a temporary generator, the building is hurricane-ready.

“It’s nothing elaborate, nothing extravagant…but it can accommodate us in case we get into a long hold-down with a hurricane,” Zinna said. “We tried to think about everything while we were building it.

“Not only is it going to serve the Sheriff’s Office very well, but also the citizens of St. Charles and that’s what we’re here for.”