COAL GROVE — After years of waiting, the Coal Grove Police Department finally has a new home.

Chief Eric Spurlock said that the move that happened this past weekend has been a long time coming.

Previously, the department was located at 221 Lane St. near Paul Porter Park. The recent move places them on Carlton Davidson Lane in the Village Hall building with the fire department, the mayor and the clerk’s office.

“We should be over here,” said Spurlock, “all departments together in one building.”

The move that finished up on Monday, Spurlock said, would benefit the village for many reasons. One being that it would save taxpayers $600-$700 a month in utilities at the old police station, a former one-car garage with flooding and structural issues.

Another reason, he said, was that if people needed copies of reports, the village clerk could help.

“It would keep the officers out on the road,” he said.

Keeping officers out on the road is something that Spurlock said will continue to help the village.

For the past three or four months, he said, he has had his officers doing double-coverage shifts, always making sure there are two officers on duty, 24 hours a day.

“We’re the only village that works 24-7,” said Spurlock.

He also said that their monthly crime reports have gone down significantly since he enacted the shift changes. The theft of the copper wiring from the Paul Porter Park’s Christmas decorations was the first theft reported since the double-coverage began, he said.

Spurlock also said about the park theft that it is still on ongoing investigation. There are some suspects and he confident that an arrest will happen soon.

The phone number for the Coal Grove Police Department remains the same, 532-1533.