2.  Town Hall Complex to Include the Police Department was built in 1988. (25yrs ago)  In 1988 we had 18 full time employees in the department and answered 5,712 calls for service.  To meet the demands a quarter century later the department has expanded in staffing and equipment.  The Year of 2013 ended with 20,223 calls for service with 23 full time employees.

5.  Current Lobby is shared with the Town Hall Complex  Citizens don’t have privacy when talking about sensitive issues at the dispatch window.  Citizens going to other areas within the town complex are exposed to vulgarity, adult situations and potential danger.  Dispatch is protected; why aren’t you?

7.  Newly Designed Lobby will have a separate entrance on the opposite side of the current building.  The separate entrance lowers the risk of the general public getting hurt during a police incident.  This removes the embarrassment of talking about sensitive issues in front of the general public.  Lobby includes a waiting area and access to a safe room that is controlled by dispatch.

8.  A safe room is a secure room directly off from the dispatch lobby that can be controlled by dispatch.  It allows dispatch to secure a victim of an assault, road rage, or other serious incident from the public, without an officer there.  This room also will double as a meeting room where officers will take reports from the public.

11.  Currently the Gilford Police Department has one interview/citizen complaint room.  This is the room we use to interview suspects of serious crimes as well as talking to the public about simple or small issues.  Many times the room is full because of an interview and people have to wait or speak to an officer in the lobby. No privacy!

12.  To get to the current interview room you have to walk through the police department and past many of the inner workings of the department.  This is problematic for sensitive materials, and when interviews become heated, loud.  Current Interview room also has exterior noise from copier, shredder, people passing by.

14.  Interviews are recorded both audio and visual.  External noises such as conversations, shredder noise, unknowing officers get recorded.  Not handicapped accessible. The hallway to the interview room is currently just passable for a single person and would not allow wheel chair access.

15.  Because of the expansion of dispatch, the area that was once used for officers to get paperwork and share information at shift change, isn’t more than a hallway.  This hallway is also the same hallway used to bring in members of the public to the interview room.  Many times these shift changes and information sharing sessions are interrupted by someone from the public coming through.

17.  Expanded to include two consoles in 2000. This was to allow for busier times, large events and details. ie; motorcycle week, busy summer nights when the population is more than doubled, Meadowbrook  The expansion did not include space for a kitchen area or storage for coats and personal items for the shift.  A combination kitchen/bathroom is used.  This is not sanitary and inadequate for our employees.

18.  Unlike the officers, Communication Specialists can’t leave their post for food, to use the bathroom etc.. unless relieved by other staff.  Adequate access to a bathroom with radio and phone capabilities is necessary.  A separate Kitchen area is needed within a reasonable distance.  Current consoles and equipment are outdated and not ergonomic. Usability issues as they relate to operating the numerous controls.  All of these are addressed in the new facility

20.  Currently directly off from Communications.  Despite recent changes to move to a more paperless system, there are still files that need to be kept in original form. Some stay for several years depending on statutory requirements, unsolved cases, appeals.  We keep the most current records in this office. Everything else goes to our cold storage.  Literally….

22.  New facility allows for records expansion within the controlled facility.  Eliminates rental of storage containers at $225 dollars a month, allows access without unfreezing locks, digging through the snow, possibility of damage from a water leak, freezing or heat issues.

23.  Current offices are full to include using one of our interview rooms.  There is not any storage on the entire main floor.  There is not a meeting room.  New design is properly laid out. Communications has a separate bathroom and access to a small kitchen area.

24.  Interview room is now in the front of the building next to detectives.  Copier and shredder are now in a separate room.  There are mechanical and storage areas included in the design.

25.  We have included a newly designed EOC in our training room.  This will include updated equipment to handle an all hazard event within our community; Weather, School, Airport, Natural Disaster.  The EOC will have interoperability capabilities and be tied into our communications center.

26.  The police department will now have a training room.  The existing police training room has been made into an officers room because of space constraints.  We currently use the town hall meeting room, library function room and sometimes the fire department depending on availability for our trainings.

27.  Why Do we need a Secure Training Room?  Some police trainings involve sensitive materials.  We also do multi agency briefings for serious arrest/search warrants.  Major Incidents that last several days. ie; Homicide.  Department meetings

28.  This room will also be able to be scheduled by civic groups or organizations within the town when not in use.  The entire room is within the existing space, but can still be secured from the rest of the police department.

31.  Existing Structure has design flaws.  Laundry within booking area.  Officers room, Evidence, Lunch Room, Armory are all accessed by going through the booking area.  Doors are backwards for room access.  Bail Commissioner’s desk is in hallway under stairs. Fire Hazard.

33.  The booking room is too small.  Space=Distance=Officer Safety  Current Room although redesigned by officers still does not provide adequate space when booking arrestees. This is a huge LIABILITY if an officer gets hurt.  Bail Commissioner Window was put in two years ago for their safety. Just not enough room to safely handle upset and intoxicated subjects.

35.  New Design gives the space needed.  There are two cells contained within the booking area.  There is a third holding area for arrestees to be booked and to speak with us and the bail Commissioner safely.  Eliminates Stairway Fire Hazard and Window.

38.  Existing building has two holding cells.  One is currently being used for firearms storage.  Many times we cannot meet the requirement of site and sound separation of arestees.  New Design covers this.  New Design is laid out with safety in mind.

39.  The current Facility has two Sally port entrances.  When an arrest is brought in they are first secured in the sally port and then brought into the booking room.  Our current design and lack of space has us storing maintenance supplies, tools, evidence, vehicles in the sally port.

41.  Maintenance items can be a safety issue if we have a combative subject.  Vehicles stored as evidence mean that we sometimes can’t use the space at all.  The New design includes a third bay for seized vehicles, large evidentiary items or maintenance supplies.  This eliminates the Officer Safety Issue.

42.  Currently our Officers are in the training room that was built by the officers with donated materials.  Officers have a small area for their files, personal and duty equipment.  The new design is similar but professionally built.  It is also built in an area that does not have to be accessed through booking. Proper layout.

44.  As mentioned earlier this is now located in our booking area and entered by civilians.  New facility will have the laundry accessible from the outside but secure from the rest of the facility.  Laundry has separate access.

48.  Currently both are substandard. Both have had issues with water damage, mold.  This has lead to rust and is in need of an update.  No place to sit down to put on your boots, get dressed.  Locker sizes are too small to put uniforms in without getting them wrinkled. No place for boots or jackets. Shower and bathroom stalls are old and in disrepair.

49.  New locker room will provide updated bathroom facilities.  Larger lockers for proper uniform storage, boot storage.  A place to sit down to get changed.  Water and mold issues will be addressed.

51.  Current facility has small temporary lockers that are in sally port.  No large temporary lockers, so items are stored in armory when needed, or an evidence officer needs to come in.  Current long term storage space is inadequate with current space being full.  Large or long term storage items are kept in a storage trailer behind the building. These items need to be dug out and is not climate controlled.

53.  Current Evidence processing and materials storage is a 4x5 old photo room.  There is literally no space for processing evidence.  The fuming chamber is a non ventilated aquarium. Serious health risks if not careful.

55.  Evidence Upgrades in New Facility.  New pass through temporary evidence storage with large and small lockers.  Adequately sized evidence processing and storage supply room.  Internal long term large and small evidence storage with room for expansion.  Elimination of storage containers out back.

58.  Current armory is small but sufficient for storage, however there is not any place to maintain or clean firearms.  Currently firearms are cleaned or maintained on the lunch room or officer tables. Chemicals are not safe for use in eating area.  New Armory gives the space needed and includes a sink to wash hands.

60.  The New facility leaves room for expansion in the records and evidence area.  There is also room for expansion in the locker rooms.  There is a small amount of room for additional office space if needed.

61.  Our current security system which includes video and audio recording of the police department both inside and out is outdated.  This means Black and White and barely able to distinguish people. The recording system is a recent temporary replacement. Access to the building is done by push buttons operated in dispatch that sometimes don’t work.  Other secure areas within the facility are operated by push button coded locks.

62.  The new facility will include an up to date security system with color cameras and adequate recording and viewing abilities.  An upgraded entry system will utilize a fob design or key card.

63.  Security is important for Officer Safety.  Video is important for court prosecution in the booking and sally port area.  It is important in secure areas such as evidence or the armory so that we know when rooms are entered and by who.

64.  The need is here and has been for several years.  The police department has worked hard to work with what they have.  The new facility gives us what we need, while keeping the future in mind, at a reasonable cost.  The time is now. Thank You