Construction on the new Pelham police station is under way, with officers anticipating a move-in date of fall 2006.

The new station is being built next door to the old one on Pelham Parkway. The new facility will include a new jail, with room

for 12 male and six female inmates. Currently, the jail has capacity for six males and two females.

Pelham Police will use the new jail for the same purposes as the current one, holding only short-term city arrests. Long-term, felony arrests will go to the county jail.

The new building will also serve as home for the city courts. A new court room with capacity for 300 people is under construction, compared to the current 125-person capacity court room. Lt. Scott Tucker of the Pelham Police Department said the court room will serve other purposes such as police training.

The main level will house the dispatch room, jail and the courts. The upper level will house administrative and investigative offices, and the basement will be for uniformed officers and personnel.

A total of 80 people work for the Pelham Police Department, including officers, dispatchers and other civilians. That number does not include court staff members, who will also work in the new building