Williamstown Board of Selectmen 31 North Street Williamstown, MA 01267

January 4, 2012

Dear Honorable Board, On behalf of the Williamstown Police Association, Local 424 of the Massachusetts Coalition of Police AFL-CIO (WPA Local 424), I am pleased to communicate with you today to discuss the construction of a new, modern and safe police facility for our town. As each board member may be aware, the Williamstown Police Department (WPD) moved to its current location in 1966 after the Town purchased the location from Williams College. Prior to serving as the Williamstown Town Hall and Police Station, this building was a college fraternity, the former Phi Gamma Delta. The WPD has now been operating in its current facility for 45 years, a building which was not constructed for law enforcement use. WPA Local 424 is in unanimous agreement the current Police Station is long outdated, unsafe for employees and visitors, and negatively impacts professional policing. Over the years, and just recently, victims of serious felony crimes such as sexual assault and rape, have expressed their displeasure with the current police facility for a variety of reasons, such as lack of privacy. We as a community owe it to the victims of serious crimes to support them at their worst times, not worsen their experience. WPA Local 424 encourages the Town to recognize this dangerous and incompetent police facility and to take immediate measures to begin the long overdue process of moving forward

with construction of a new facility for Williamstowns professional full-time public safety agency. WPA Local 424, for the purposes of complete transparency, encourages the Town of Williamstown to hire an independent firm to study the present facility and submit its findings to the Board of Selectmen. WPA Local 424 is confident whoever conducts the study will report back to the Board the following: y y Significantly inadequate space for efficient and effective police operations. Lack of space for administrative personnel to work efficiently. Most offices are used for multiple purposes. No handicapped access to the main entrance of the Police Station. This is especially troubling during non-business hours at the Town Hall. Lack of space to properly secure medical, firearm and other police related equipment. Outdated holding cells. No facilities to house juveniles. No separation of male & female holding cells. To access the holding cells, officers must first escort a person in custody down a short, narrow hallway which serves as the main entrance to the Police Station. This places visitors in danger when they walk into the station during a prisoner escort. Officers then descend a set of narrow stairs to reach the basement where the holding cells are located. This creates a tremendously dangerous environment for the officers and subject who is in custody. This hazardous condition is significantly magnified when attempting to control a disorderly and non-cooperative person. No locker rooms. Presently, a small second-floor room houses a few closets for officers; however, they are co-ed and therefore no privacy for male and female officers who share this tiny space. This room also serves as an alternate interview room and officer report writing space. The main interview room which includes the required video and sound recording equipment per the Berkshire County District Attorneys Office to record suspects is adjacent to the entrance area shared by victims, witnesses and civilians. During criminal investigations, suspects, witnesses and victims cannot remain sight and sound separated creating a dangerous and unsafe environment. No room to correctly process evidence, where chemical fumes can put employees at risk due to inadequate ventilation. Inadequate air conditioning and heating system. Lack of adequate parking for police cruisers, police specialized vehicles/equipment, employees and visitors.

y y

y y

Insufficient space for employee training and community programs. Department wide training must be held off-site at a cost to the taxpayers to accommodate the staff numbers. Insufficient space at shift change which hampers communication and information sharing amongst employees. Deficient isolation for the communication center causes a distraction for 9-1-1 dispatchers which places the entire community and all public safety agencies at risk. Inadequate number of interview rooms (presently, the WPD has only one). During incidents which require the interview/statements of more than one person, it can cause inconveniences and disruptions to police functions as officers must relinquish their computers to assist. The use of police computers by non-law enforcement personnel is not only unwise as it slows police operations, but the location of the computers places witnesses in law enforcement sensitive areas which should only be accessed by authorized personnel. Expensive computer systems for the Towns enhanced 9-1-1 equipment are stored in a small room making it exceptionally vulnerable to malfunctions and damage due to heat overload. The 9-1-1 monitoring site has called the department many times reporting dangerous temperatures which could have catastrophic consequences if not remedied immediately. This places the entire Towns residents in danger if the system fails. Current facility security and protections are almost non-existent, exposing employees and visitors to risk. Any breach of security could also expose records and operational systems which could result in detrimental outcomes. No Public bathrooms. Presently, if a visitor or witness must use a restroom, they are brought to a basement or second floor coed bathroom with no handicap access. An alternative is using the bathroom in Town Hall. All three options due to their locations require a police officer escort.

WPA Local 424 is certain the above mentioned is just a sample of what an independent third party will discover when a proper and professional examination of the current police facility is conducted. It should be known that WPA Local 424 is not intending to be confrontational by bringing this to your attention. On the contrary, we wish to better inform you of our working conditions and to request an independent study because we believe the Board and Town are honestly unaware just how unsafe, dangerous and unprofessional the current police station is. As we begin a new year, Village Ambulance Service, an agency that handles approximately 2,000 calls a year for service, deservedly operates from a fairly new and modern building. The Williamstown Fire District, a call department which receives about 200 calls a year for service,

is rightly moving forward with plans to begin construction of a new fire house to replace their 61 year old outdated building (a facility that was specifically constructed for the fire service.) In 2012, The Williamstown Police Department will begin its 46th year of operation from an old college fraternity. Your Police Department is a full-time agency providing service to our residents and visitors, twenty-four hours a day, year round, and which processed more than 15,000 calls for service in 2011. We believe the time is long overdue to begin a serious conversation about replacing this unsafe environment with a new facility that can appropriately represent the Town of Williamstown. WPA Local 424 would like to thank each member of the Board of Selectmen for your time hearing our concerns. We wish all board members, residents and visitors a happy New Year. I am,

Very Truly Yours,

Sgt. Scott E. McGowan, President Williamstown Police Association, Local 424 AFL-CIO