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Home My WebLink About2014 09-14 First looks at new police headquarters at open house MAPLEWOOD REVIEWpolice Mgr more , garage "space to keep, nkaxpa.yer-purchased u, vehe 'and 'equipment ,W out of the elements • more,and better evi- derAce'-harxdlir g ; anal stor- es ace'� • inore se ure, entries both. for staff and the public's safety 0 more trainin and g The Maplewdod, Police, Depirtrno6t expo conference space for staff handling were made +� more secure records Many of the upgrades ing how, e. Police... ladquart Is at o house pen Hall side of the building, instead of the police side, The space constructed to house the briefly -used: Maplewood dispatch Con - ter was also reconfigured to be better used, Beyondthat, the addi- tion to the east wing of the , building now houses looker and equip- ment rooms, as well as expanded garage and stor, age room so than building's existing, "core space" could be reorganized. Time capsule fter an 1& -month �study by S"h.ort, , Pl ott $w Hendrickson revealed the fneility' hr►rtr.nrn�nssc. lust by Bhang- was used. `l""he citywide ogy office, for insttauce, K sting space information techn`ol- was relocated to the City continued from page 1 SEP, Tt the city council voted in 2012 to issue nearly $4 mil- lion in bonds, paying back roughly $300,000 a year, to make big changes. r The upgrades weren't as costly as they might have r been; there had been some discussion of a-$12 million ,brand-new building and an $8 million expansion with sizeable additions to City Hall. However, thanks to "a very clever design architect," as then -mayor Will Rossbach put it, the plans were xpared down to roughly $4.2 million overall; by rede- signing the way the current department is used and doing smaller additions. And it was time for those additions, said city plan- ners who described the facility as being virtually 4 unchanged since its construction in 1984. , "Cagney and Lacey" notwithstanding, the facil- ity wasn't built with the awareness there might be women Iworking as officers. There were none serving Maplewood when the building wasbeing planned, so there -was no locker room constructed for women. - A later upgrade that split the .facilities in half left "a substantially undersized" men's locker room. .Additionally, the range of non lethal weapons and demand for communication devices has increased the amount of equipment officers must carry. Modern officers might have a weapon, holster and magazine'' as well_ as a taser and pepper spray. They carry barrier gloves in case of biohazards. They. may have, one or two sets, of handcuffs, a flashlight, a radio, cell phone, an audio recorder, keys and a 'pocket knife. In addition to all that "duty belt" gear, there's the ballistic vest, and 1984 lockers and locker rooms. weren't built -to house all that equipment Linda Vaumeister/Review Maplewood Police Reserve Tom Tousignant stands ready to assist Bever, Parkinson who tries walking the straight blue line with "fatal vision" goggles rep- licating an Impaired .07 -1.0, .08 being the legal limit., Visitors were encouraged to give it a try in the police conference room, now doubled in size, gaining space from the old _locker room. ` iWice the number,.half the space The original 2011 study found there were 61 staff: quickly to . Facebook and other. communications that ers plus volunteers "in space originally designed to have become a crucial tool in investigations. house approximately half that number." A small forensics lab will let investigators exam - With. the crowding came inevitable compromises: ine seized computers and other technology, as well file cabinets in department walkways, storage in as bringing evidence -logging inside from the police interview rooms and "found property" and evidence gage• crammed into the garage and its entryways. The addition of computerization -- which was just Safety,and securRty getting underway in 1984 -- taxed the building's elec- Most alarming to the SEH reviewers was the police trical system, and new police services and tactics department's reception counter, with a door opening meant new kinds of interviews, investigations and right off the main City Hall lobby. evidence. Juvenile, problem property, school resource, "Confrontations can and have occurred and the traffic, narcotics, gang-relatedand technology crrimes security provided by the glass is inadequate to prop - all have their own reporting, recordkeepi.ng and spe- erly protect staff." The study called for a redesign that cialized staffing. would segregate victims and witnesses coming to the Police Chief Paul Schnell was especially thankful department from the rest 'of the public looking for city for technology upgrades, which ' allow police to tap in services-. Once inside the department, members of the public walk past low -walled workstations, a high-volume file cabinet and the copying mom, where they could potentially view information that should be more secure Overall, planners say, 'the_ changes will bring the department's ' facilities in line with 21st -century polic- ing. "It's going to give the officers what thep ikeded to do their work better,"' Maplewood Mayor -Nora Slawik told the audience at a recent council meeiiiig`