Gulf Shores, AL. — (GSN) — The City of Gulf Shores has officially opened its new $20.9 million Justice Center on Medical Village Boulevard, transforming the former Sacred Heart Medical Office Building into a modern, centralized complex for public safety operations.

For years, city leaders and law enforcement recognized that Gulf Shores had outgrown its prior police station, which was outdated and lacked the necessary space and resources to support a growing coastal community. A comprehensive staffing and facility needs assessment conducted by Matrix Consulting Group in 2019–2020 identified the prior police station and detention facilities as the municipal property most urgently requiring replacement.

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To address these space constraints efficiently, the city chose to repurpose and retrofit the vacant 42,000-square-foot medical office building rather than constructing a new facility from the ground up. The renovation project took approximately 18 months following the contract award to Persons Services Corporation in early 2025 and a ceremonial "ground breaching" in March 2025.

The completed Justice Center now houses police operations, municipal courts, jail facilities, and a dedicated incident command center under one roof.

"These are exciting times for the men and women of the Gulf Shores Police Department. We are grateful the City Council has given us a facility which will allow its police department to grow at the pace of the city," said Gulf Shores Police Chief Dan Netemeyer. "This facility puts the entire department and the courts under one roof which hasn’t been the case for decades."

As staff settle into the new facility, the department is preparing to invite the public to view the completed space.

"We are planning a flag raising and public tours in the upcoming weeks. More details will be released soon," Chief Netemeyer noted.