Construction on the new Dallas County Law Enforcement Center continues to progress under budget, though the completion date has officially been pushed back to November.

Dallas County Sheriff Chad Leonard says the original timeline put them in the facility by mid-October, though an assortment of delays have popped up. In spite of that Leonard says he’s been pleased with how the work has gone to this point, saying the picture of the building is becoming clearer to the public. “Most of the effort right now is on the jail portion of the building itself. The administration side of things is about as far as it can be right now until the windows and doors and stuff come in. It’s coming along, it’s looking great (and) I think in the next week or two you’re going to see some huge improvements as far as when you drive past on the highway. They’re getting it done, and my understanding is we’ll be in it by November.”

Leonard adds, the roof is still off on the jail pod because crews need to place large pieces into it using a crane. Progress in doing that was slowed because of the abundance of rain in the past weeks, but the recent drier weather should enable crews to get a lot done. Another issue that has slowed progress has been a recent rash of break-ins at the construction site. The Sheriff’s Office is investigating three thefts of property that happened around Memorial Day involving contractors’ equipment.

Operations Director Rob Tietz points out that the County isn’t liable for these thefts, as it is the contractors’ responsibility to secure their own items. However, he says the County is working with them to obtain replacement equipment in order to keep construction moving, while law enforcement works to apprehend those responsible. Anyone with information on the break-ins is encouraged to reach out to the Sheriff’s Office at 515-993-4771, and they’re reminded that tips can be given anonymously.