New Police Facility

     On November 2, 2010, the residents of Northampton voted to support our police department by passing a $10 million debt exclusion override.  This has allowed us to move forward with construction of a new police facility.  We thank the citizens for their support.

     We will keep this page updated with recent photos as construction on the new station continues.  For information on the need for the new police building, images of the current station, and to view other information related to the process of approving the new building, scroll past the images of the building process.

New Police Facility

 The Need for a New Police Facility

     In November 2006, Mayor Mary Clare Higgins appointed a committee to oversee the site selection, planning, design, and construction of a new police station for the City of Northampton.  The current station located at 29 Center Street, constructed in 1965 to serve both the Registry of Motor Vehicles and the Northampton Police Department, has outlived its capacity for modern policing operations.  A lot has changed over the past 45 years in the field of policing.  Some of the most notable changes include:  Computers and the associated equipment have become a vital component of efficient police operations, the types of duties that police perform has expanded, new equipment has been developed that must be stored and maintained, training requirements for police officers have dramatically increased, staffing levels have increased, storage needs related to confidential paperwork, case files and evidence have increased, the entire field of forensic science and the associated processing of physical evidence has developed and expanded, cruisers and related equipment have changed significantly and require constant attention, facility requirements for prisoners and juveniles have changed, building access for the disabled has been made a requirement on new buildings, digital recording of suspect interviews has become commonplace and storage and handling of drugs, firearms, blood/body fluids and other physical evidence has changed.  One need only consider the changes we have all experienced since 1965, when Lyndon B. Johnson was President, to realize that a building designed for a police department then can no longer efficiently or effectively answer the needs of police officers in 2010, nor offer proper facilities for the multitude of citizens, victims and witnesses, who walk through our doors daily for assistance and services.

     A 2003 "Needs Assessment and Facility Master Plan" was prepared by Rebanks, Pepper, Littlewood Architects, Inc. of Toronto examining the current and future facility needs of the Northampton Police Department.  A link to that complete report can be found at:  http://www.northamptonma.gov/police/uploads/listWidget/5028/Northampton-Report1.pdf

     Perhaps most problematic is maintaining our professional stature as one of only 28 accredited police departments in Massachusetts.  During the last two reviews and re-accreditation processes, the most glaring reservations of the assessment teams centered around the condition of our building environment and how it suits the modern law enforcement standards.  It would be a travesty to the city and the department if the confirmation of best law enforcement practices were jeopardized by a dysfunctional facility.

      In 2006 the Building Committee reviewed the completed report, engaged in its own independent analysis and review of appropriate and available sites, as well as the design parameters.  They unanimously confirmed the site selection and design recommendations.  The original 2003 report, the committee’s work over three years, the final fully permitted design (including Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design (LEEDS) Gold certification), public hearings history, other relevant documents and drawings are all available by linking to www.northamptonma.gov/psbc/ .

     Northampton covers almost 36 square miles and has a current population of around 29,000.  The city is home to a number of social service agencies, troubled youth residential programs, shelters for both people who are homeless and families escaping domestic violence, the largest regional community and veteran's hospitals, courthouses and a number of private and public elementary, secondary and college level schools.  These all require a broad variety of police services.  The City also attracts a large number of visitors to its restaurants, bars and many events.  It is clear by many objective measures that we serve a population far greater than just the residential number cited above.  For example, 41% of our adult arrests are non-city residents; an additional 19% of those people identify themselves as homeless; and 50% of the juveniles who we arrest do not reside here.

     The existing 12,000 square foot police building has long ceased to meet the department’s needs effectively. The building is overcrowded, badly planned and working conditions do not support efficient operations.  The current lot is around 25,500 square feet (0.58 acres), and accommodates the building footprint (6,000 sq.ft) and approximately 30 parking spaces.

     The following are some of the problems that we face each day inside the Northampton Police Department:

1. Woefully inadequate space for efficient or fully effective police operations
2. Inconsistent and unreliable air conditioning/heating system
3. Lack of adequate parking for employees and visitors
4. Insufficient space for employee training and community programs
5. Insufficient, secure, dry storage for evidence and property
6. Episodic rodent and cockroach infestations we regularly trap and treat for.
7. Insufficient space in the Ready Room at shift change hampering communication and info sharing amongst patrol and supervisors
8. Regular storm flooding of the garage/basement/storage areas.
9. Locker rooms too small to accommodate enough lockers for current staff, nor properly sized and wired lockers to serve current officer equipment and storage needs.
10. Lack of space for administrative personnel to work efficiently (most offices are multi-purpose offices)
11. No handicapped access to the front lobby of the station
12. No facilities to house juveniles
13. Insufficient space for officers to write reports, enter evidence and complete paperwork
14. Inadequate number of interview rooms (we have 1)
15. Interview room is adjacent to suspect entrance area- victims, witnesses and suspects involved in crimes cannot remain sight and sound separate
16. Lack of adequate space in supply closet to secure medical, firearm, tactical and other supplies
17. Poor ventilation system for evidence processing areas where chemical fumes put employees at risk
18. Consistent presence of mold throughout the station
19. Building is falling apart in many areas: bricks are crumbling, ceilings are falling down, heaters are rusting, pipes are leaking and tiles and floors are cracked and in disrepair
20. Insufficient evidence processing and storage areas- Roof leaks jeopardizing electrical and communication services, metal door and window frames are rusted through and crumbling,
21. Insufficient meal area (seats 5 for approximately 20 employees during the daytime)
22. Many offices have exposed wiring from computer upgrades and changes, which also has triple duty as our second victim/witness interview room, and our only meeting space for departmental meetings
23. A cobbled together space solution housing the city’s Public Safety Computer System’s servers.  (The current space is a converted closet, and due to repeated malfunctions due to heat overload on this $100K plus equipment a large roof mounted air conditioning unit was installed last year)
24. Current building security, access and protections are virtually non-existent exposing staff, records, operations systems and evidence to breaches that could have severely detrimental outcomes

     The following link will connect users to the Northampton Community Television website.  The site contains a video tour of our current facility and interviews with staff.

Northampton Community Television:  NPD station tour

          We, as your police department, understand that citizens have raised concerns as there is a perception that there has not been a full awareness of all of the public work done over the past several years, and question the issue of transparency.  The two following attachments will hopefully bring all interested citizens up to date by offering:

1.  Addendum #1:  A PROJECT TIMELINE that details activities since 2003 and that lists all posted and publically advertised meetings relevant to the project, and

2.  Addendum #2:  The history of increasing COSTS of the overall project that addresses not only the police department's needs, but the needs for the city at large.  This includes public works infrastructure improvements, downtown utility infrastructure improvements, and resolve a surge parking shortage as defined in a 2003 study.

     The following images were taken in May and June, 2010.  They illustrate some of the many problems that we face in our current facility.  Move the icon over each image for a description of what is shown: