
April Fool’s Day is a time of pranks, but this year a momentous event took place on April 1 in Liberty County, Texas – the groundbreaking of the new law enforcement center on a 39-acre tract of land just north of North Main Baptist Church in Liberty.
The law enforcement center will include a new headquarters in the main building for the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office and the Liberty County Office of Emergency Management, and offices in the annex for the Pct. 3 Justice of the Peace and Constable, Texas game wardens, Texas Department of Public Safety personnel and the Texas Rangers.
The County has budgeted $25 million for the project but construction is expected to be just under $20 million. The project is being funded by certificates of obligation that Liberty County commissioners approved in June 2020.

Acting as emcee at the groundbreaking ceremony, County Judge Jay Knight said the law enforcement center is the fruition of a goal that he and Pct. 2 Commissioner Greg Arthur and Pct. 4 Leon Wilson established years earlier before they were sworn into office. All three have a background in law enforcement – Arthur as former sheriff, Wilson as a retired peace officer and Knight as a former employee for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
“We all agreed that we had to do something to help the sheriff’s office and law enforcement in general. What you see today has taken about six years and for someone to finally say, ‘It’s okay. Do it,'” Knight said.
The new sheriff’s office, in particular, is much needed, according to Sheriff Bobby Rader, who joked during his groundbreaking day speech that he feels like the Little Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe from the Mother Goose poem.
“We are all cramped at our present location [on Beaumont Ave. in Liberty]. We probably disturb the neighbors as we answer calls. The building is so old and has so many maintenance problems. We can’t keep up with it,” Rader said.
Rader said that the groundbreaking was more than sticking shovels in the ground and turning dirt.
“Today, plans will be put into action. Dreams will be realized. Today will be the start of a new building that will be occupied by people who have taken an oath to protect and serve the citizens of Liberty County. This all came about as a result of hard work, teamwork and dedication,” said Rader.
He thanked County Judge Jay Knight, Commissioners Bruce Karbowski, Greg Arthur, David Whitmire and Leon Wilson, and County Auditor Dwayne Gott for their parts in the project.

Since Liberty County was first established in 1836, 42 sheriffs have served. Today, only four are still living and three were in attendance at the groundbreaking ceremony – O.J. Stewart (39), Greg Arthur (40) and Rader (42). Henry Patterson, who was absent from the festivities, was the 41st sheriff for Liberty County. The 38th sheriff, Sonny Applebe, passed away recently.
The buildings that make up the law enforcement center were designed by Kenny Burns with Burns Architecture and will be erected by White Construction Company. The design allows for an area to be set aside for a new jail in the future.
Burns thanked the County for selecting his firm and trusting him to guide the project.
“What we envision is that this is a site that is not just home to the sheriff’s office but home to what eventually will be a campus for your law enforcement facilities, ultimately a jail. It’s a big undertaking. I like to be frugal in spending your tax dollars. The cost of these buildings, while it’s not cheap, is really good for the times we are in,” Burns said.
The sheriff’s office/OEM building will be roughly 49,000 square feet and the annex will be 9,000 square feet. The buildings are expected to be ready by spring to summer of 2022.
Mayors of four Liberty County cities were in attendance at the April 1 groundbreaking for the Liberty County Law Enforcement Center. They are Dayton Mayor Caroline Wadzeck, Plum Grove Mayor Mary Arrendell, Cleveland Mayor Richard Boyett and North Cleveland Mayor Bob Bartlett (left to right). Law enforcement personnel representing several agencies were in attendance at the groundbreaking for the new Liberty County Law Enforcement Center on April 1. Jim Snyder with White Construction speaks at the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Liberty County Law Enforcement Center on April 1. Looking on are Ken Burns with Burns Architecture, County Attorney Matthew Poston and Pct. 4 Commissioner Leon Wilson. Father Ted Smith, a chaplain for the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office and spiritual leader for St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Liberty, leads a prayer at the start of the groundbreaking ceremony on April 1. Liberty County Sheriff Bobby Rader addresses the crowd at the groundbreaking for the new Liberty County Law Enforcement Center on Thursday, April 1, in Liberty. Looking on is Pct. 4 Commissioner Leon Wilson, County Judge Jay Knight and Jim Snyder with White Construction. Jim Snyder (left) with White Construction and Ken Burns with Ken Burns Architecture will be working together a lot in the coming months as they start construction of the new Liberty County Law Enforcement Center in Liberty. Liberty County Sheriff Bobby Rader addresses the crowd at the groundbreaking for the new Liberty County Law Enforcement Center on Thursday, April 1, in Liberty. Liberty County Investigator Steve Rasberry, Texas Ranger Brandon Bess and Sheriff’s Deputy Brad Taylor (left to right) were among the attendees at the groundbreaking for the new Liberty County Law Enforcement Center on April 1. Dana Arthur with Liberty-Dayton Regional Medical Center, Liberty County District Attorney Jennifer Bergman, Andrew Landry and Sheriff’s Investigator Steve Rasberry (left to right) visit prior to the groundbreaking for the new Liberty County Law Enforcement Center on April 1. Representing the Hardin area, Pct. 3 Justice of the Peace Cody Parrish and Bonita Davis with Hardin Lions Club catch up at the groundbreaking for the new Liberty County Law Enforcement Center on April 1. Former sheriffs O.J. Stewart and Greg Arthur and Texas Trooper Chris Richmond are pictured prior to the groundbreaking for the Liberty County Law Enforcement Center on April 1 in Liberty. Pct. 1 Commissioner Bruce Karbowski, Pct. 3 Commissioner David Whitmire, Jim Snyder with White Construction and Ken Burns with Ken Burns Architecture listen as County Judge Jay Knight (not pictured) makes introductions at the groundbreaking for the new Liberty County Law Enforcement Center on April 1. At the April 1 groundbreaking ceremony for a new law enforcement center for Liberty County, commemorative items were available for key persons involved in the project. Plum Grove Mayor Mary Arrendell, Pct. 1 Commissioner Bruce Karbowski, Liberty County Chaplain Coward and Pct. 2 Commissioner Greg Arthur await the groundbreaking of the new Liberty County Law Enforcement Center on Thursday, April 1, in Liberty. Pct. 2 Commissioner Greg Arthur (left) visits with North Cleveland Mayor Bob Bartlett (center) and Cleveland Mayor Richard Boyett (right) before the groundbreaking for the new Liberty County Law Enforcement Center on Thursday, April 1, in Liberty. Employees of the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Liberty County Law Enforcement Center on April 1. Special guests at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Liberty County Law Enforcement Center get ready to turn soil on the project on April 1. This is a front view of the future Liberty County Sheriff’s Office building, which is one of two buildings that will soon be under construction on SH 146 just north of Liberty. The Liberty County Office of Emergency Management will also be in this building. Front view of the future Liberty County Sheriff’s Office building Back view of the future Liberty County Sheriff’s Office building Future Liberty County Sheriff’s Office building Entrance to the future Liberty County Sheriff’s Office building and Pct. 3 Annex This drawing shows an overhead view of the new law enforcement center. The two buildings on the front of the lot will be for a new Liberty County Sheriff’s Office headquarters while the smaller one will house the Pct. 3 Constable and Justice of the Peace, Texas Rangers, Texas game wardens and Texas DPS personnel. The Sheriff’s Office also will be used for the Liberty County Office of Emergency Management. The Liberty County Sheriff’s Office and the Liberty County Office of Emergency Management will be housed in this building once it’s built.
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Good thing they got them some sand to dig. They never would have gotten a shovel in that black land.