Univ. of Ala. & Tuscaloosa open permanent police precinct on The Strip

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (WBRC) - An added layer of safety is now visible on The Strip after the University of Alabama Police Department and Tuscaloosa Police teamed up to open a permanent police station right in the thick of it all.

The location is next door to Taco Bell and directly across the street from Publix. The place is actually slightly smaller than the temporary location near there.

University Police say this has been in the works for some time now, especially when you consider record enrollment at UA along with a growing city.

After a quick tour, we saw three work stations. One of them included several monitors showing a bank of cameras throughout the Strip monitored by police personnel.

“This space is just a little bit smaller, configured differently, but it has been built out for our needs. Tuscaloosa Police Department and UAPD have worked collaboratively for decades, you know, patrolling The Strip and the areas off campus and this was just the next logical step and helping keep this vibrant community safe,” said UA Police Captain Chad Stephens.

The new precinct opens just before thousands are expected on Saturday for the spring game.

Captain Stephens says it wasn’t necessarily designed that way, just the way it worked out.

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