Public Turns Out for Police Station Tours

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Published on January 21 2019 9:47 am
Last Updated on January 21 2019 9:51 am
Written by Greg Sapp

(A BRIEFING ROOM ON THE FIRST FLOOR CAN NOW ACCOMMODATE THE ENTIRE POLICE FORCE IF NECESSARY)

More than 300 people took advantage Saturday of the opportunity to tour the brand new Effingham police station.

Saturday's tours were for the general public, after the business community had an opportunity to look around Thursday evening.

Construction on the two-story facility began in the fall of 2017. The 26,457 square foot facility was designed to complement the Effingham City Hall next door.

The public entrance is welcoming, but secure. Some of the police department staff members are pleased that suspects will be cordoned off from the staff or visitors to the police station. There are safeguards to protect the chain of custody and evidence. Even attempts to flush away evidence have been thwarted, since suspects can't "get rid" of the evidence, only the staff can. Attempts to escape have been minimized, since the security system prevents suspects from getting out of the building.

Meanwhile, interview rooms have been made secure to prevent contact between suspects and victims and the rooms for victims have been soundproofed.

More space is another plus, although the area for patrol officers is smaller than some areas. A couple of the tour guides explained that it's because the patrol officers' offices are their squad cars.

(POLICE OFFICERS' FAMILY AND FRIENDS ALSO TOOK PART IN SATURDAY'S OPEN HOUSE)

Now that the Open Houses are over, the move begins from the current police station location in the west part of City Hall to the new facility. The goal is to have the move completed in time for the official ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new station. The ceremony will take place on Thursday, February 14 at 11am.