The new station at 181 Beach Road should be ready for occupancy by the end of the month. Police Chief Thomas Fowler said it is an example of today’s building requirements, modern communications, electronic and security systems, plus state-of-the-art law enforcement techniques. With safety and best police practices throughout, the three-story building is handicapped-accessible, accommodates both male and female personnel, and has new safeguards for agency recordkeeping, criminal evidence management and prisoner control.
“The holding area and (jail) cells not only are safer for people being detained, but they’re also safer for officers,” Fowler said. “The cells are ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant and the (state) Department of Public Health has signed off on them.”
The old brick police station on Railroad Avenue has more problems than just its small size, leaky roofs and moldy smell. The fact it’s not accessible for people with disabilities and doesn’t have accommodations for female staff, or female and juvenile prisoners, were serious concerns for state inspectors. Fowler said the only reason the old station got an OK in recent years from the DPH was because the agency knew a new building was on the way.
The new station will give the department more effective ways to fight crime, protect the public and prosecute criminals. The evidence lockers are a prime example, Fowler said.
“They’re a huge upgrade in securing evidence,” Fowler said. “With the new lockers and the security cameras, we can track the chain of evidence from the minute it comes in the building. There’s also a refrigerated unit for biological evidence. These enhancements bring us into the 21st century.”
At both the ballot box and Town Meeting, voters approved issuing $11.5 million in bonds for the new station. About $8.5 million goes to build the structure, with the rest for new systems, equipment and furniture.
Salisbury Planning Director Lisa Pearson, who has overseen construction, said work is a little behind schedule, but the project is on budget.
Both old and new stations will run simultaneously for a few weeks, while the changeover occurs. If the new station gets its certificate of occupancy, the first to occupy it Jan. 30 will be dispatchers, Fowler and perhaps Lt. Anthony King, she said.
“That’s our goal,” Pearson said. “But it depends on the stair railings and bulletproof glass for the dispatch center window being installed in time. We can’t get a certificate of occupancy without them.”
The building is filled with features the old station lacks. The first floor is the mainstay, with a two-console dispatch center to eventually have two dispatchers on duty. By April, the plan is for dispatchers to answer calls for the police and fire departments.
Other rooms provide storage, jail cells, evidence lockers, space for booking prisoners and prisoner holding and police work areas, along with public and private water fountains and restrooms. The interview room has an observation window and communications wiring.
“By law, if we interrogate someone, it has to be audio- and video-recorded,” Fowler said.
Also on the first floor will be the town’s Emergency Operations Center. Moving it to the police station will free up needed space in the Salisbury Fire Station. When not in use as the operations center, training or public meetings can take place.
Second floor holds more storage, locker and shower rooms for both genders, offices for leadership, break and exercise rooms.
“We’re providing the space for the weight room,” Pearson said. “The police association is providing the equipment.”
The third floor is available for storage and future department growth, Pearson said.
The station also has impressive electrical generators, so taxpayers can rest assured it will stay up and running even when nature intervenes.
Angeljean Chiaramida can be reached at 978-961-3147, at achiaramida@newburyportnews.com, or follow her on Twitter @achiaramida1.
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