Los Banos planning new police station

Los Banos is pursuing a $30 million police station that would be built next to the courthouse that is under construction on G Street.

City and county officials are reportedly working together to allow the Police Department to move out of the facility on Fifth Street it has called home since 1969. The station will be part of the “Gateway Center,” which could include the courthouse, Merced County Sheriff’s Department, probation department, county clerk, public defender and District Attorney’s Office.

Sonya Williams, Los Banos’ finance director, said the project is at its beginning stages, with the city having spent only $2,500 to $5,000. Most of that money has been poured into phase one of an environmental study. Phase two of the study, which is more detailed, is scheduled to start in less than two months.

The money for a new police station is slated to come from Measure P, a half-cent sales tax approved in 2004. The sales tax, which was originally intended for infrastructure and equipment for emergency services personnel, has been spent on salaries for firefighters and police officers since 2009 through a pair of voter-approved ballot measures.

Williams said three employees, two police officers and a firefighter are being paid out of Measure P funds.

“We have committed to moving one employee into the general fund every six months. By 2017 Measure P will be free of employees,” Williams said.

She said after the second phase of the environmental study, a series of steps will take place including an appraisal and negotiations to purchase the land. Williams said construction of the police station is scheduled for 2020.

Police Chief Gary Brizzee has a staff of 59 and is authorized to hire up to 62 employees. Code enforcement personnel and the department’s detectives have offices at the nearby Police Annex building on J Street. Dispatchers, officers, administration personnel, jailers, office staff and police volunteers share the 46-year-old police station.

“Generally speaking, it’s a less efficient workspace now that we have all these different functions. (But) we adapt,” Brizzee said.

He said the biggest issue his department encounters is being able to handle the modern technology of 21st century law enforcement.

“They built this thing in the ’60s. In dispatch we got wires running everywhere. It wasn’t built for faxes and cables and wireless infrastructure,” Brizzee said.

He said he will be conducting a needs assessment for the new police station to make sure it meets the department’s current demands and has the ability to change with the times. Brizzee said he would also love to have the new station utilize solar panels to save energy cost.

“If I had a magic wand, I’d move tomorrow. (Although) we have time where we can design it to fit our needs,” Brizzee said.

This story was originally published July 22, 2015 at 6:16 PM with the headline "Los Banos planning new police station."