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Chief: Station cramped
Published Thursday, May 29, 2008
Tim Brennan
The Fergus Falls City Council will vote Monday on whether or not to conduct a study of law enforcement space needs.
Police Chief Tim Brennan brought the issue to the Finance, Personnel and Development Committee meeting this morning, telling council members the current law enforcement center is too small to accommodate both Fergus Falls Police and the Otter Tail County Sheriff’s Department.
The issue is not particularly new, dating back to a 1995 study of courthouse and law enforcement space needs.
“The (summary) of that was that space at that time was squeezed and not very efficient for operations,” Brennan said, adding that the number of Fergus Falls officers back then totaled 21.
By the time of another study in 2003 — this one related to a new jail — the number of police employees had grown to 29.
The current number of officers is 23.
“So what was identified as a bad situation in 1995 has only gotten worse,” Brennan said.
Even the opening of the Otter Tail County Operations Center in Ottertail next month will not solve the problem, law enforcement say.
What the council will vote on Monday is a $15,400 contract with Shultz and Associates, Ltd., a planning and architectural firm out of Fargo. Over the course of three months, the group would identify necessary functions for the new facility, develop a conceptual floor plan and evaluate possible site locations before bringing a final report to the council in August.
“One nice thing is this particular firm is very familiar with the situation,” Brennan said.
Otter Tail County has partnered with Shultz and Associates for all of its planning and architectural services for the past 15 years.
Comments
The Daily Journal is happy to host community conversations about news and life in Fergus Falls and the surrounding area. As hosts, we expect guests will show respect for each other. That means we don't threaten or defame each other, and we keep conversations free of personal attacks. Witty is great. Abusive is not. If you think a post violates these standards, don't escalate the situation. Instead, flag the comment to alert us. We'll take action if necessary. It's not hard. This should be a place where people want to read and contribute -- a place for spirited exchanges of opinion. So those who persist with racist, defamatory or abusive postings risk losing the privilege to post at all.Posted by Clara (anonymous) on May 29, 2008 at 12:38 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Oh man! Another study! How much money has been invested in STUDIES?
Just build a Public Safety site where you can house the fire dept., City police, and County jail/law enforcement. Investing in public safety is the way to go, but not by studying it to death.
Posted by prowler (anonymous) on May 29, 2008 at 2:12 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Why was there an increase of 8 officers over an 8 year period (1995-2003) when the growth of Fergus Falls has remained nearly stagnant? Has the amount of crime gone up in this city nearly 40% during this time? I'm all for public safety, but even that has reasonable limits. I agree with Clara that another study is a waste of taxpayer money, just as is an unnecessary excess of officers. The answer is clear. Right-size that department!
Posted by The_Nick (anonymous) on May 29, 2008 at 3:23 p.m. (Suggest removal)
FF has 13,000+ citizens plus the unaccounted for population that the college brings in each fall, I don't think 29 officers is an unnecessary excess. Also agree that more studies are a waste.
Posted by The_Nick (anonymous) on May 29, 2008 at 3:29 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Upon further investigation there is currently 23 officers on the FFPD not 29.
Posted by walleye29 (anonymous) on May 29, 2008 at 6:53 p.m. (Suggest removal)
As a retired police lieutentant from a town a little over double the size of Fergus I have dealt with these issues before. I am not surprised that a new facility is needed. The current one has been in use for over thirty years. Often a newer facility can be more cost effective to operate. I'm not sue what the population of Fergus is, but a good rule of thumb is 2 officers per 1,000 residents. Of course the more special units a city wants will require additional personel. Fergus is a low crime area and it seems that the number of officers may be a little on the high side. Certainly some justifacation for the numbers of officers would be interesting. SWAT teams, population fluxuations due to seasonal residents and other programs may account for the number of officers required. I don't know the answer, this is something the chief should be prepared to address. One must also consider that the high number of officers may be why Fergus enjoys a low crime rate.
Posted by byteme (anonymous) on May 29, 2008 at 8:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I don't know if we need a new police station or not, but 1 thing I do have an issue with is how many times you see a Fergus cop drive down the road and then a couple blocks later you see another going the same way down the same road. No lights no nothing. I think the city of fergus could find a better way to spend their money than on gas, either ride together or split up and spread out. If the first cop didn't see something most likely the 2nd or 3rd won't either!!!
Posted by walleye29 (anonymous) on May 29, 2008 at 10:44 p.m. (Suggest removal)
In fairness to the Chief I would also like to comment on the study being requested. This is called a "needs assessment" and is vital to determine several things such as: if a new facility is needed, will a remodle of exisiting stucture address current problems, how big the new building should be and even where it should be located. This study should provide this information. I would strongly urge to city to use a firm that has built several other law enforcemnt centers in the past. Perhaps even go and visit new buildings in other towns that they have been involved with.. Depending on what is needed and desired a new facility will cost at least a couple of million dollars and probably three or more. Whoever takes on this project will not only need to do a lot of investigating but also be able to sell such a large investment to those who will have to pay for it. Good luck!
Posted by cueball66 (anonymous) on May 30, 2008 at 12:01 a.m. (Suggest removal)
why cant we hust use the empty rooms in the court house? it is a low cost anserw to an an existing problem.
Posted by rodentboy (anonymous) on May 30, 2008 at 3:17 a.m. (Suggest removal)
23 or 29 officers is really not all that many. they are not all on duty 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. they work in shifts, have days off and vacations and etc. i got to agree with clara also, that spending $15,000 for a study is not very wise.
Posted by smooth (anonymous) on May 30, 2008 at 9:17 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Sorry Chief, your going to have to wait in line like everyone else. It should be your turn in about 2028 when the school is paid for.
Really how many offices and how much space do the officers NEED inside a building? We have already provided them with an office, it has 4 wheels and flashing lights.
As a side note whatever happened to that "comunity policing" idea that we had about 15 years ago? now that it's summer can we expect to see some officiers walking downtown or strolling the neighborhoods getting to know the citizens, as we have so many new officiers?
Posted by realitychk (anonymous) on May 30, 2008 at 9:49 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Isn't there LOTS and LOTS of unused space in the current courthouse? Is the county thumbing its nose at the police department? Do the sheriffs and police not get along anymore? What happened to the unused county highway department office which is next to the cop shop? Can that be used? It seems logical. I think the county should do some answering too. Some questions need to be answered to the taxpayers by both the city and county. Everything should be questioned on this one.
Posted by walleye29 (anonymous) on May 30, 2008 at 10:03 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Being someone who has heard all these observations before in my own town I can tell you that I too am normally opposed to outside expertsand thier studies, but in a situation like this a study is the way to go. Many of the questions posed by realitychk are very good and the minimal cost of a study would address them. It may be possible that existing space may solve the problem, Other buildings that are available in the area should also be examined. That is why a study is important. If it is determined that a new building is truly needed, then it should built without the frills. Keep it basic and fuctional.
also, if it has not already been done, a search for grants from homeland security and other agencies should be conducted. This may help off set the cost.
Posted by earthtone (anonymous) on May 30, 2008 at 10:36 a.m. (Suggest removal)
In response to byteme, I don't think you need to be so concerned about seeing two patrol officers in the same place or area. If the lights and sirens are not activated, it does not mean that they are just cruising around for no reason. I believe that seeing officers in close proximity has to do with issues that are not necessarily known to the general public and may be in the interest of a possible investigation, surveillance, etc. I think that the citizens of Fergus Falls are very fortunate to have the police department that they have. Additionally, if you have observed the police department office area, you may agree that they need better space. Officers need more than just a vehicle as an office, they need space to conduct interviews, write reports, have meetings,etc.
Posted by bucksteel (anonymous) on May 30, 2008 at 10:38 a.m. (Suggest removal)
"Some questions need to be answered to the taxpayers by both the city and county. Everything should be questioned on this one."
That's why you have an unbiased 3rd party do a study and make recommendations - someone that has looked at many other situations like this - then you know what all of your options are and what each will cost.
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