The Cherokee Sheriff's Office is developing plans for construction of a new training facility as part of its 2010 efforts to improve service to the community.

Sheriff Roger Garrison said the agency is developing county-owned property near its headquarters and jail on Chattin Drive in Canton for the facility. It will include an indoor firing facility, a rifle and shotgun range, and a four-story rappelling tower.

"Training is clearly our legacy," he said. "Training is our best insurance policy. It keeps us in a defensible position if we are sued."

Capt. Joe Satterfield, training and Special Weapons and Tactics commander for the sheriff's office, said the agency currently has to send officers to places such as Hall and Douglas counties for training.

"It limits our opportunities for training," he said. "(This facility) will greatly increase our capacity to train our officers."

Satterfield said the sheriff's office would keep its current handgun range, which is also adjacent to headquarters, open after the new facility is complete.

Site and floor plans as well as environmental studies are under way for the project. A total cost for construction of the facility is not yet known.

"This year is all planning and design," Garrison said, adding they would break ground for construction "as soon as we could" in 2011.

With the budget being tight, Garrison said the agency has to find ways to work smarter.

"One way we can do that is through the use of technology," he said, adding a top priority is to keep his office "moving forward in a positive, efficient manner while we navigate these waters of financial uncertainty."

The agency employs 421 people, down from 427 in 2008, and it's unlikely more staff will be added this year, sheriff's office Public Information Officer Lt. Jay Baker said.

The 2010 budget for the sheriff's office also has been trimmed to $28.6 million from $28.8 million last year.

Planned technology upgrades include installing a Livescan fingerprinting unit at the BridgeMill Precinct. The agency already has one at the jail and added one in its South Precinct last year.

Livescan fingerprinting allows law enforcement agencies to take a digital fingerprint, which then can be forwarded electronically to the FBI, Department of Justice or another authorized agency.

The sheriff's office also will update the audio and visual equipment in vehicles assigned to the warrant division.

Another goal for the year is to update pursuit policy, which could add new offensive tactics that would end pursuits as quickly as possible.

The agency as soon as this month will add new equipment to its fleet: a BearCat armored vehicle for use by the SWAT team. The purchase was approved last year by the Board of Commissioners.

Garrison said the past year saw many successes for the agency, including fully putting into use its automated fingerprint identification system, which networks the office's data with other agencies on a national and state level.

It can match fingerprints against a database of known and unknown fingerprints and identify a person suspected of a crime or link a suspect to other unsolved crimes.

"It has proven to be an invaluable resource as more and more crimes are multi-jurisdictional," Garrison said.