JONESTOWN—As little trick-or-treaters donned their costumes searching for sweets last weekend, the Jonestown Police Department began the move to its new, 4,200-square-foot headquarters on North Park Drive.
Chief John Stetar walked through the shiny halls of the new police facility Friday, getting used to a building the city hopes will satisfy the needs of local law enforcement for at least 15 years.
“It looks like we have more room than what we need,” he said, “but we’ll fill this place up before you know it.”
The police department obtained a temporary certificate of occupancy Oct. 29, and immediately began moving boxes of files, computer equipment and furniture into the new building.
The need for a new police building became apparent, Stetar said, about three years ago when department headquarters were at what he called “an old goat house” across from the Plaza on FM 1431. The building barely had any facilities, and was literally becoming a health hazard. Stetar said runoff from a septic draining fill adjacent to the building began to soak into the walls, causing mold.
“It was terrible,” he said. “I was sick; Alma (the police secretary) was sick most of the time.”
The JPD headquarters then moved to a trailer home next to a city-owned building off Park Drive, which Stetar said became a safety issue when police officers were left with handcuffing suspects to a chair while filling out paperwork.
“With only one officer there, there was a good chance you’d get hurt. And officers did get hurt,” he said.
Plans for constructing a new police building came to residents in the form of a $1 million bond in 2007. Residents approved the bond handily, leading the Jonestown City Council to create a subcommittee to oversee planning for the building. After several months of wrestling with construction costs, the Council opted to rescind plans for a training facility and halted construction until supply costs were lower. The eventual cost of the project came in at $771,000 for construction and $90,000 for architectural costs.
The final plans for the new facility included fireproof evidence rooms, a larger conference room, two holding cells with bathrooms, two different men’s and women’s restrooms and several offices. The building also offers several security measures, including mounted video cameras on the outside walls and fingerprint scanners for access to particular rooms. At the back door, a heat sensor opens up to a fingerprint scanner when approached.
Stetar said unlike past facilities, the new police building is a fully functional headquarters for the department.
“We set out to do some things, and to come up with a facility that is functional and within budget. And I think it’s both,” he said.