Shorewood is currently exploring how to update the police facilities. For as long as I have lived in Shorewood, I have heard that the police department has inadequate room and facilities.
Although I did not doubt that the department may be a little cramped, until I had an opportunity to tour the facility, I had no idea just how antiquated their facility actually is.
From the outside the “safety” building looks quite large and adequate. But in reality the police department is sandwiched in between two Northshore Fire Department equipment bays, and the fire department has all the space on the floor above as well. The police department is left with the space in the center (at some points no more than 15 feet wide), a small garage which is also the Sally Port (where prisoners are transported in and out of the building), and the basement.
There is a cramped office space on the first floor in which officers have no privacy for sensitive conversations, a couple of small holding cells, only one of which is operational with the other two being used for storage, and a small interrogation room, which shares space with a great deal of the electronics systems that the department depends upon.
On the lower floor are two small locker rooms which make your average high school locker room look luxurious, a work room for the detectives, a small firing range, and a labyrinth of space that is not useful for much more than storage.
Of considerable note is that there is no space for privacy in interviewing or counseling crime victims or witnesses, other than a small cramped room, with seating for one person. Very cold comfort if you are the victim of a crime.
Equally distressing is the physical condition of the building itself. I daresay that if the building inspector were to find the same conditions in a commercial establishment, with paint and plaster peeling and falling off the walls, work orders would be summarily issued. A great deal of upgrading on the physical plant, electrical, plumbing, heating, and ventilation is way past due. Of concern also are signs of potential lead and asbestos hazards I observed.
The police chief, David Banaszynski, has done a wonderful job in working with a consulting firm, the Zimmerman Architecture Studies company, in identifying various sites that would be suitable for a new police department, costs that other departments have incurred in modernization, and rough ballpark figures on what the costs would be for the various options studied here.
Of the scenarios considered, the police department could be relocated away from the Village Campus. Just north of Kensington on Oakland, and the Post Office being a couple examples. Other scenarios encompass various additions to the present site, a possible multi level parking structure, and a number of other variations.
The only scenario that has not been considered yet is the relocation of the Northshore Fire Department, which would give the Shorewood PD the entire structure to work with. Along with a two level parking structure, there would be more than adequate room for the PD, much needed additional parking for the Village Campus, and a centering of the departments, services and facilities that the Shorewood residents use the most.
There is much left to be studied, but there has been a very good start to the process. I would like to see the scenario of the fire department being relocated however, before coming to any conclusions as to what will work best for Shorewood. In the long run though, it has been too long that the Shorewood PD has had to deal with the inadequate facilities we have given them to work with. This should be a priority for the Village, with thorough but timely due diligence, and an action time frame that is realistic and cost effective, but not drawn out.
