On Monday, St. James City Council members toured the St. James Police Station to address space and security issues that are found there. The area currently has two small offices, no holding area, and a cluttered storage area that isn’t large enough.
When more than a few people are in the office at a time, space becomes a major issue, as was shown when the council was taking its tour. Mayor Dennis Wilson explained the situation.
“We are just jam packed down there. It is very crowded for police to operate,” the mayor said. “We are looking at what options we have for space, but there is a safety element involved as well.” He explained that there is no interview area or place for police to detain a person as well as no private area for police to conduct an investigation with people. “Its in very unsatisfactory condition,” Wilson said. “We looked around town for available building space, but the problem is it will take money.”
The council is delaying a decision on what actions should be taken until a later time. The council is keeping a watchful eye on what happens with the fire district. The fire department is currently awaiting to hear if it will receive a couple of state grants that would allow for a new fire station on the north side of town, and the police department could take over that building. “At this point, we have to do something. It is becoming a safety issue,” Wilson added.
The police station has no options to expand due to its location at the end of City Hall. Any expansion would infringe on the utilities department space and would further complicate matters. Police Officer Tim McDonald said, “We recently had to handcuff a guy to a chair since we didn’t have anywhere to detain him.”
The council is now aware of the issue and will continue searching for options that could alleviate the problems faced by the police department.