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Newton Safety Complex
Last fall a group of volunteers got
together and formed a committee to study and develop the framework for
a new safety complex that would house the police and fire departments
for the Town of Newton. The Newton Safety Complex Committee is made up
of a cross section of citizens and employees of the town. The members
include Bob Bartlett – Chairman, Chief Larry Streeter – NPD, Chief Bill
Ingalls – NFD, John Owens – Emergency Management Director, Norm Harding
– Board of Selectmen, John Ulcickas – Board of Selectmen, Robert
Donovan, Lynn Harding, Rick Daniels, Eileen Patterson, Skip Mirriam,
Steve Palmer, and Horace Williams.
The first steps taken by the committee have
been to ascertain the condition of the town’s current facilities. There are a
number of problems and needs surrounding the existing police station that the
public may be unaware of. The Newton Police Department understands that
building a public safety complex is an expensive and complicated endeavor and
that we need full public support in order to accomplish this. We also know that
in order to secure this support, the public must have a full understanding of
all the need issues. In this regard, the department has prepared a list of
shortcomings surrounding the current building that we wanted the public to be
aware of.
Spending taxpayers dollars requires public
scrutiny, and we believe that it is a healthy process for people to banter about
costs, facility size, location, equipment, and even need. We will attempt to
put forward as much constructive and useful information as possible in order to
assist the public in reaching an informative decision.
In the meantime, please feel free to call,
e-mail, or stop by the station with any questions you might have regarding this
project or any other police-related issue. We also invite you to visit the
station and take a tour of the building.
CURRENT POLICE
DEPARTMENT SHORTCOMINGS
I. Garage Bays
Currently:
There are no garage bays.
Needed: It is
anticipated that 3 garage bays are needed for: 1) Forensic Seizures – vehicles
used in crimes such as armed robberies, assaults, and sexual assaults, that need
to be forensically processed; 2) Storage and maintenance of OHRVs, department
bicycle, and cruiser maintenance; 3) Sallyport for unloading arrests in a
secure area for both prisoner and officer safety.
II. Impound Yard
Currently:
There is no impound yard.
Needed: An
impound yard is needed to: 1) hold vehicles that have been used in other
crimes including fatal and serious personal injury accidents that require
processing; 2) hold other impounded property including bicycles, etc.
III.
Training Room/Conference Room
Currently: There is no
Training Room or Conference Room.
Needed: An
area is needed for departmental trainings and monthly department meetings.
Currently the department uses the general office area for department meetings.
This area does not allow seating for everyone and is not conducive to meetings
or training sessions.
IV. Booking Room
Currently: The
current prisoner booking room is not a secure room. It gives unruly and
combative prisoners access to the administrative area and potentially to the
rest of the PD. The room is not physically conducive to officer safety and does
not flow with proper and correct prisoner handling methods.
Needed: A
secure booking area is needed to process detainees.
V. Administrative Area
Currently: The
current administrative area does not flow with walk-in traffic. The
Clerk/Secretary has to leave her work station (radios, telephone and computer)
in order to handle walk-in traffic.
Needed: The
administrative area should allow the Clerk/Secretary to greet visitors and
handle walk-in traffic from her work station.
VI. Foyer/Lobby
Currently: The
current foyer/lobby is very small. If more than one visitor comes in at the
same time, they are bumping into each other. There is also not enough room for
forms and literature.
Needed: A
larger lobby area is needed so that multiple visitors are able to sit
comfortably. The lobby should also provide an area for visitors to fill out
forms.
VII. Break Room/Kitchen
Currently:
There is no kitchen and no separate area for employees to eat lunch. The
refrigerator and microwave are located in the general office area which makes
the area cramped and unsanitary.
Needed: A
separate room is needed with a sink and a table and chairs for employees to eat
lunch.
VIII. Restrooms
Currently:
There is one generic restroom for everyone.
Needed:
Separate mens and ladies restrooms are needed.
IX. Parking Lot
Currently: The
current parking lot is too small. When there are more than a handful of
employees and visitors in the building at the same time, parking is cramped and
potentially hazardous.
Needed: A
larger area is needed for employee and visitor parking. This area should also
be well lit at night and provide a secure area for employee parking.
X. Storage Areas
Currently:
There is one storage closet in the building. This closet is approximately 8’6”
x 5’6” in diameter and is full. Because this is the only storage closet, office
supplies and miscellaneous equipment are stored throughout the building in
random areas.
Needed:
Additional space is needed to organize and store uniforms, equipment, firearms,
ammunition, office and computer supplies.
XI. Officer’s Report Room
Currently: The
current officer’s room is 14’ x 12’ and is extremely cramped. It is the
administrative area for 4 full-time and 12 part-time officers and also the
animal control officer. It also houses all the department forms, employee
bulletin boards, roll call information, and is the main area for information
exchange and interviews.
Needed:
Additional office space is needed to provide workstations for officers to write
reports and conduct private interviews.
XII. Records
Currently:
Department records are stored in file cabinets in a hallway that leads to the
main entrance and exit for department employees. Because of these file
cabinets, this hallway is left with a clearance space of 2’7” in width.
Archived records which must be kept in perpetuity by NH statute are kept in a
storage trailer that leaks and has had several files eaten and otherwise
destroyed by mice.
Needed: A
clean and dry storage area that is easily accessible is needed for proper record
retention.
XIII. Locker Room
Currently:
There is one locker room that is too small, does not have enough lockers for all
sworn personnel, and has one shower stall.
Needed: A
larger locker room is needed to provide room for additional lockers, a seating
area, and a separate area for female officers.
XIV. Interview Room
Currently: There is no
Interview Room.
Needed: An
Interview Room is needed for private conversations ranging from domestic and
assault issues to criminal investigations.
XV. Supervisors Office
Currently: There is no
Supervisors Office.
Needed: A
Supervisors Office is needed so that supervisors can conduct performance
appraisals and have personal conversations with their subordinates.
XVI. Detectives Office
Currently: There is no
Detectives Office.
Needed: A
Detectives Office is needed to provide a private room to handle confidential and
case sensitive investigations.
XVII. Crime Scene Evidence Processing
Room
Currently: There is an
Evidence Storage Room only.
Needed: A
Crime Scene Evidence Processing Room is needed to process prints, castings,
photographs, etc.
XVIII. Exercise/Training Area
Currently: There is no
Exercise/Training Area.
Needed: The
state of NH has an ongoing requirement for police officers to pass a physical
fitness test. An exercise room and physical training room would help officers
to stay in compliance with the state.
XIX. Building Size
Currently: The
building that houses the Newton Police Department is overcrowded, cramped and
just too small. The IACP recommends 300 – 350 square feet for each full time
employee. Currently there are 7 full-time employees and 11 part-time employees
which means a minimum recommendation of 2,100 square feet. The existing
building is 1,296 square feet which means the existing building is 504 square
feet short, or the equivalent of 4 10x12 rooms.
The FBI recommends 1 officer for every 500
residents. The Newton Police Department currently employs 1 officer for every
1,000 residents.
Needed: The
minimum recommended square footage (300) times the number of recommended
officers (10) means a proposed 3,000 square foot building. This proposed square
footage is in accordance with today’s standards and does not take into
consideration any anticipated town growth.
Newton Police
Department
2 Amesbury Road
Newton, NH 03858-0385 |
Emergency Dial 911
Business Line 603.382.6774
FAX Number 603.382.2194 |
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