The Brookhaven Police Department had expected their relocation to be final after moving boxes and furniture all weekend, but Monday morning there were still a few minor issues that needed to be completed before the department could fully open up operations in their new office on Highway 51.

Brookhaven Police Chief Pap Henderson said Saturday that there are always going to be little hitches in the first few weeks of a new arrangement.

"I'm a little nervous," he said. "I'm praying that everything goes right, but I know there will be little things here and there until we can get everything in and running smoothly."

Officers worked in the early morning heat Saturday morning, loading and unloading a large U-Haul into the new building, with Henderson, Assistant Chief Nolan Jones, Captain Bobby Bell and Investigator Frank Leggett getting their hands just as dirty as anyone else doing the gruntwork.

"The job's going to be the same, but it'll be great to have an updated facility," said Leggett. "There's plenty of room here, and that will be the big difference. But I also love the idea of being part of history."

Leggett's enthusiasm was contagious. As the lawmen worked to move all sorts of heavy equipment from trucks and trunks and trailers, a sense of anticipation outweighed any exhaustion from the manual labor.

"I love the location, and I love the room, because we had outgrown the old department," said Bell. "We've got a great setup, because we've got room for classes, and a large meeting room - this building was built to be a police department, it wasn't turned into a police station."

And dispatcher George Lambright, who was still sitting at his old station Monday morning, said he and fellow officers are ready to have a space that was specifically their own.

"Just having our own place," he said. "It also makes it more convenient."

Bell said members of the department realize the magnitude of the project, and are grateful for the city's being willing to work to get them their own facility.

"We're glad the chief and the mayor and board of aldermen saw fit for us to make this move," he said. "I think we have always been professional, but this location is a real step up."

Henderson said the finishing touches should be finished Monday afternoon if all goes well.

"We're not a normal business," he said. "We can't just shut down for the weekend to move absolutely everything. We're so enthused about this, and we certainly appreciate the mayor and the board allowing this for us."

Henderson said he is planning an open house for people to visit the new facility, and that it will be sooner rather than later.

"I really want the mayor to see this before he leaves office, and I want him to get the praise he deserves for making this possible," he said.