Wednesday, June 27, 2001
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Wednesday, June 27, 2001 |
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PTC police move into new HQ By JOHN MUNFORD
On the outside, it looks like an upscale office building. But Peachtree City's new Police Department building offers much more on the inside, particularly in the way of security. Video surveillance cameras are nearly everywhere: the adult and juvenile holding cells ... the lobby ... holding cells ... and the secured bay where prisoners are ushered into the building. The video system is a big plus to top-level administrators, said Police Chief James V. Murray. They can monitor officers' activities, from hauling in prisoners to inspecting their vehicles before heading out on patrol to the daily roll call where special information is handed out before each shift begins. "You can see where everybody is without getting up from your desk," Murray said, adding that the system would pay for itself in time savings alone. The building cost $1.8 million, and construction began in June of last year. It was finished March 30, three months behind schedule but three months earlier than originally estimated, according to City Engineer Troy Besseche. The public will be invited to tour the facility Sunday, July 22 for two hours along with the city's newest fire station on Paschall Road. That gives the department a little more time to get unpacked and everything should be looking nice by then, Murray said. "That way, people will really be able to see the bang they got for their money," Murray said. "This should be here for the next 100 years, and it's paid for with today's dollars." In addition to the video surveillance system, the new building features an electronic key card system. It helps keep track of officers' whereabouts, logging on a computer when they drive into the gated parking lot and enter certain secured areas such as the evidence room or holding cells. Both the video and electronic key card system help protect the department by providing records indicating how each prisoner is processed, Murray said. It saves time as opposed to manually logging each action, which is required to meet national accreditation standards, he added. In the adult holding cell, a large video monitor in plain view warns prisoners that their actions are being taped, the chief added. "That shows them there's no need to try anything," Murray noted. And should something go wrong, a panic button on the wall sets off an alarm to alert other officers to respond and get the situation under control. The separate juvenile holding cell, several secured doors away, links to a second front door entrance where juveniles are released to their parents' care after being processed, Murray said. The entrance, which is open 24 hours a day, serves as a waiting room for the parents. Processing prisoners is a more secure task now compared to the station's former location at the first floor of City Hall, the chief added. "My greatest fear was the kids going over the bridge to story time [at the library]," Murray said. If a prisoner tried to get away, it could have endangered those children and other citizens, in addition to the officer and the suspect themselves, Murray noted. "I guess nobody thought we'd arrest 2,000 people a year," Murray said. The old station was also smack in the middle of a residential area, and the new location on Hwy. 74 south is situated a bit farther from homes, Murray noted. The new facility contains a large modular multipurpose room, part of which is normally used for roll call. It can be adapted to host more than 100 people for large training exercises, which the department hosts occasionally, Murray said. On the border of the room is a work station area for officers to plug in their lap top computers and complete their "electronic" paperwork. The new digital phone system is also handy, Murray said. Each officer has his or her own voice mail box, and they can check it from home if they wish. Another feature of the new building is the ceremony room, which is large enough to host an emergency operations center should a disaster strike. It is also used as the main area where promotions are awarded, Murray said, adding that the sky-lit room is used every day. The records room represents another major advancement, Murray noted. It features sets of large metal brackets that will hold boxes of records, making it easier to find material dating back to the department's early days. A smaller room around the corner from the records room is the technology/library room where officers can review training videos and other literature. Even the auxiliary unit has its own small office, though it used to be in the old elevator shaft at City Hall, Murray said. Two separate rooms hold the evidence processing equipment and the department's weapons arsenal. Another room attached to the patrol section provides a workout facility featuring free weights, a treadmill and other low-impact equipment slated for the future. "That way, when officers get off the midnight shift they can come in and work out," Murray said, noting that personal fitness is an important objective for the department. The patrol wing area also features a five-desk office for sergeants and a separate small conference room for private employee communications when necessary, Murray said. The building was designed not to look like a police station, the chief said. The lobby has the look and feel of a bank, even though the wall separating the lobby from the interior offices is bulletproof, Murray added. A glass display case is off to the left, holding police memorabilia from Peachtree City's past and other countries. Citizens are invited to contribute their own police memorabilia to the display case if they desire, said Maj. Mike DuPree. A committee of employees worked on the location and design of the station for two years, the chief added. He gave much of the design credit to former city Councilman Jim Pace, who prioritized the project, and architect Don Cobb. The facility features a low-maintenance design with rubberized flooring that can be hosed down to clean no vacuum needed. The exterior features brick and aluminum, which won't have to be repainted. "It even came in under budget," Murray said, noting there were very few changes to the building after the work was bid out. All the desks and office chairs were saved from the previous police facility, Murray noted. And the building was designed to be expandable when necessary, although Murray said he hopes that won't happen until after he has left the helm of the department. Care was taken to make sure the department doesn't grow out of the facility soon, he added.
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