North Branford Takes Baby Step Toward Building New Police Dept.

NORTH BRANFORD, CT - The town has been considering what to do about its against police department building on Route 139 for years but, until now, has only talked about what to do.

At the most recent Town Council meeting, after hearing a presentation from Acting Police Chief James Lovelace about the condition of the cop shop, the council had a discussion and then voted to spend $50,000 to begin the process of studying building a new police station.

Chief Lovelace presented a brief history of the North Branford Police Department and the amount originally expended to built it, which was under $400,000.

Lovelace said within the Police Department, there is not enough space to hold the mandated equipment, to store the files required to be saved, or any evidence for ongoing cases.

The majority of the building is not handicapped accessible, Lovelace said.The shower facilities have been flooded by sewage, so, they have been sealed and the septic system needs to be pumped every three months. In the event of a leakage of any hazardous material, there is no area to decontaminate. The sally port, which is loaded with records and evidence, makes it unsafe to transport prisoners in or out, Lovelace added.

He said this could lead to injuries, especially that many prisoners are under the influence of drugs and / or alcohol. The configuration of the staircase has caused injuries. Paperwork, which is mandated to be kept by the state, as well as ceased equipment, has no place to safely be stored. Vehicles need to be kept if they were stolen or involved in an ongoing court case, and there is no storage available.

Things are literally stacked up, Lovelace told the council.

The gun cleaning room and medical equipment room, (one in the same room) is not as clear as it should be. There is a $6,000 asset sitting out, on the floor, because there is no place to put it, the chief said. The office space, which is to house a number of officers actively working on cases, is insufficient. There are two computers, but only one chair can fit in the space, so only one person can utilize the computer at any given time. There is no place to cat, so officers are forced to eat in varying locations, which is not appropriate.

The heating and air conditioning is ineffective, as it uses electricity, which is very expensive. Mold occurs unless a dehumidifier runs 24/7, which is expensive and inefficient. The generator, which would cost $50,000 to replace, does not service the entire building.

Lovelace described the building as "safety hub of North Branford," stating it is being run using an inefficient generator, clogged drains to keep sewage from leaking in, and bottled water being purchased because the well pump is at its extended life.

He said there is no room in the dispatch area for officers to hang their coat and equipment, so it is unclear where it will be stacked during the upcoming winter months. The parking lot needs to be replaced, both front and back. The doors are corroded. The hand rails, which have no life expectancy left cost over $5,000 to replace. Fencing will cost over $5,000. The design of the cells does not meet with current regulations. The drainage is ineffective and needs to be redone. The training room/conference room/ interview room, and E.O.C., which are the same room, is ineffective and costly. The siding on the building also needs to be replaced.

Lovelace said there are a number of reasons why a new building would make good financial sense, in addition to meeting the needs of the current mandates and requirements

Fire Chief William Seward said that providing services for the town is a team effort that and that safety and health needs to be considered when determining those that risk their lives to protect our town.

He added that technology plays a large role. In the existing structure, there is no partnership with the fire department, which could be a costly situation. It has worked up to this point, under stressful situations, because these people the gestured to the many police officers and fire and rescue personnel that were in attendance are making it work. Currently, the consensus standards are not being met, which can be used against us in a court of law. The improvements enhancing the communication system between the fire and police departments is critical. This project needs to be a unified effort.

The lives saved could be yours, Seward told council members.

Longtime resident Cliff Potter indicated that OSHA could go in and shut down the Police Department. He said the officers go into work every day, for our safety and we need to give them what they need in order to keep them safe.

We could lose in a lawsuit and all that we would have put into the building would be lost," Potter said, who added: "They are looking for better working conditions - not the Taj Mahal."

Potter added: "Even if taxes have to be raised, we will have to deal with it because these issues have been problems for years, and nothing has been done to help."

After hearing Lovelace, Seward and Potter make pleas, the council held a lengthy discussion about balancing the needs of a new department versus what the cost to taxpayers may be, especially considering the town is also looking at building/bonding a new high school in the not so distant future.

Council members also said with the status of state funding for town projects also a question mark these days, due to the state's own fiscal woes, spending on major projects can't be considered lightly.

The Council then voted to authorize Silver Petrucelli & Associates to proceed with preparing schematic design plans for a new police facility at a cost not to exceed $50,000, pending their explanation at the next WPCA and Town Council Meeting scheduled for December 4, 2018.