Part of the festivities included a formal ribbon-cutting ceremony at the front entrance, although the ribbon they used was, appropriately, yellow crime scene tape, which drew laughs and many ironic comments.
“As many of you know, this building was constructed in 1939 as a New Deal Works Progress Administration project. It is a solidly built and historic building in our city. It has been home to many of the city’s local government services—police, fire and administration—over its proud 80-year history,” City Manager Doug Elliott said in remarks at the ribbon-cutting ceremony. “I am happy and proud to say that it will continue to serve our community for many more years to come as our newly-renovated Police Station.”
He said it was a $3.8 million construction project financed through careful planning without using any new debt. The project more than doubles the space for the Police Division with modern equipment and greater security.
“Before this project, the Police Division occupied 6,470 square feet of space—basically in the basement or as some lovingly referred to it as the dungeon because of the cramped quarters and lack of windows,” Elliott continued. “This newly-renovated facility now provides the Police Division with 14,310 square feet of up-to-date and functional space at a cost of $288 per square foot.”
Addition of sally ports where officers can drive vehicles into the building to unload prisoners more securely than in the alley as was done in the past, key-card door entries and limited public access to much of the building are all improved facets of the building. The upgrade which may have impressed visitors on the tours the most, however, was the new property room where evidence is collected and stored.
Property Officer Perry Gordon was on hand to talk about the new facility which he said increases storage space from 150 square feet to 378 square feet. He spoke of the evidence lockers in which officers place their bagged and tagged evidence. Those lockers are opened in another room from the other side. He is the only person authorized to enter that second room in order to protect the chain of evidence. There is also a pass-through refrigerator to protect evidence needing that as well as drying machine which can dry clothing or other cloth items containing blood so it can be preserved without getting moldy due to dampness.
The first thing most people focused on in entering the evidence area was a plastic-wrapped bundle of fictitious driver’s licenses taken from young people using them to buy alcohol. The bundle contained 230 fake licenses, Gordon said.
“We’ve had, probably 950 to a thousand fake IDs over the past nine years,” he estimated.
Elliott said in his remarks at the ribbon-cutting staff work helped keep down costs as well as getting a final result they wanted.
“I want to recognize Lt. Geoff Robinson and Service Director Mike Dreisbach for their leadership and involvement in this project. Thanks to Geoff and Mike,” Elliott said. “Empire building of Cincinnati was the general contractor.”
Mayor Kate Rousmaniere also took part in cutting the ribbon to formally open the renovated building.
“It is a beautiful building with up-to-date equipment,” the mayor said, then stealing from a TV police drama added, “I remind you to be careful out there.”
Elliott closed with a quote from Winston Churchill, in a reference to historic buildings.
“(Churchill) said, ‘We shape our buildings, thereafter they shape us.’ He made this statement in 1943 when Parliament was deciding what to do with the badly-bombed House of Commons. Should they restore it or replace the historic structure? I think Churchill recognized that buildings have history and a memory much like this building,” the city manager said.
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