Crime & Safety

New Station a Good Fit for Police Department

Chief says operations running smoother in larger facility

The used to begin every day shopping for jail cells.

"We'd start every morning on the phone, looking for places we could take our prisoners," Chief Charles Goss said. "It was a never-ending taxi service for prisoners."

And when they found a place for the inmates, Strongsville then had to pay $110 to $130 a day to house them there.

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That changed last fall when construction ended on an expanded, renovated police station -- one that traded 11 jail cells for 24. The department, which used to operate out of 9,100 square feet, now roams through more than 50,000. 

Mayor Tom Perciak called the expansion the city's biggest accomplishment of 2010.

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"People don't realize it, but the police are first responders in all situations," Perciak said. "You can't provide safety without the technology."

When the original station opened in 1942, it was rare to have female prisoners -- hence the two jail cells set aside for women. Now, women account for about half the inmates, Goss said. 

"On most Fridays through Mondays, it's pretty full in here," the chief said.

Also improved is the evidence room.  "We have a place to process and store evidence now," Goss said. "We used to store it in truck trailers."

Police officers no longer have to bring prisoners through the main hallway when booking them, and can now have them arraigned through video conferences with the Berea Municipal Court instead of driving to the court. There are now private rooms to interview people, including a "soft" room -- a cozy space that looks like a doctor's waiting room -- for kids and crime victims. 

"Someone would be the victim of a rape and we'd have to interview them in our break room," Goss said.

The new station has an indoor firing range with a state-of-the-art ventilation system, saving officers from traveling to another location for firearms certification. The garage is now big enough to store large vehicles indoors.

The new briefing room will allow roll call to be automated. "Officers can be briefed on the last 18 hours in 10 minutes and hit the road," Goss said.

And new locker rooms are large enough for everyone.

"There were 15-year veterans still waiting to be issued a locker," Goss said.

City officials asked voters for levies four times through 2006 before deciding to launch the project without additional tax revenue.

The work involved expanding the existing station to encompass the former main fire station on the Commons, made obsolete when the new opened. That station, located on Prospect Road, now serves as the Fire Department's headquarters.

Also redone was the adjacent Mayor's Court and

Richard L. Bowen and Associates designed the new facility.

 

 

 


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