New Noccalula Falls fire station includes small police precinct and traffic cameras, mayor says

Mayor Craig Ford said Gadsden City recently cut the ribbon on a new fire station at Noccalula Falls and described plans for a small police precinct and additional camera coverage tied to the site.

"We also cut a ribbon on a fire station up at Noccalula Falls. That fire station is beautiful," Ford said. He told viewers the station includes a police presence "on the front part" that will be used for report-taking, paperwork and public contact rather than a 24/7 staffed precinct.

Ford said the precinct will include TV screens and recorded camera footage that can be used if a crime occurs in the area. He also described city use of plate-reading technology at intersections: "We have cameras now called flock cameras that are at certain red lights...we get the tag number. We can identify the suspect, and then we can have them arrested," Ford said, adding the system has been used in Gadsden, Etowah County and surrounding cities.

The mayor said the station's exterior was designed with a log-cabin facade to fit the Noccalula Falls area and that he specified red doors and window accents as a recruitment and community-identity feature. He invited residents to visit the station.

Ford did not provide operational details such as staffing schedules for the precinct, data retention or the vendor contract for the camera systems during the remarks.