The building now occupied by the Precinct 8 District Patrol, Criminal Warrants and Communications Divisions was actually once a library. Though the building is completely separate from the main courthouse annex behind it, they share common mechanical rooms which adjoin the two buildings. Construction began on the main annex and the library in 1975. Upon completion, the main courthouse annex building (which carries an address of 16603 Buccaneer Ln.) was occupied by the Harris County Sheriff's Office, the Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector, the Harris County Precinct 8 Constable's Office, the Harris County Justice of the Peace for Precinct 8 position 2 and the Texas Department of Public Safety. The library (Freeman Memorial Library) occupied the building behind the main annex and carried an address of 16602 Diana Ln. The "Friends of Freeman Memorial Library" board voted to donate the cost of the land the building sits on to Harris County in exchange for the county to build the facility. Though they do share a common mechanical room, all other aspects of the buildings are completely separate.
For more than 40 years, Precinct 8 operated out of office space within the main annex. The Freeman Library moved into a new building in 2003, leaving the old space vacant. Except for a short time after Hurricane Ike when FEMA staff utilized the building, it remained vacant and unused for about 12 years. In 2015, Precinct 8 asked county leaders to support renovating the old library to accommodate our growing operation. Commissioner's Court approved the request and the old library began undergoing extensive renovation. Our old office space, which when opened in 1976 only needed to house about 6 staff members, had long been outgrown and our staff was quite cramped. We moved our Clear Lake operations into the newly renovated building in April of 2016. The building layout was perfect for our needs and the added space allows for a much more efficient working environment. Though Precinct 8 now calls the building home, it is still affectionately referred to as "The Old Freeman Library".
Click here to listen to the final radio call from our former dispatch center at 16603 Buccaneer.