Lack of storage space as largest concern
CARIBOU, Maine — A letter to the editor written in August brought attention to the less than ideal state of Caribou’s police station. Penned by Arthur Gorney, a retired Caribou police chief, the letter described the department’s condition as “horrible.”
“It was very dirty, with paint and plaster peeling from the walls,” wrote Gorney. “All the rooms were filled with junk and the bathrooms were filthy. The floor was coming up and it was so scratched/stained – it was hard to tell what it was made of.”
The matter was brought up once again when local resident Carol Kamm spoke during a recent Caribou City Council meeting.
“I wanted to find out about the conditions for myself and went to the police department for a tour,” Kamm said Sept. 12. “I did see that what was stated was true. The floors were dirty, there was a lot of clutter, there was no storage room, and the kitchen was cramped with computers. I just feel that they’ve outgrown the area.”
Kamm suggested relocating the police headquarters and mentioned the possibility of receiving a grant for additional cleaning.
“I know that $3.4 million was received last year and it was a good idea to place it in a CD, but it could be a good idea to use that money for the station.”
“They bring victims of domestic abuse there,” continued Kamm, “and it’s not the best environment for someone going through trauma. I was also told that prisoners had requested cleaning supplies because they couldn’t stand the filth in their cells.”
“The Chief (Gahagan) is realistic in saying there isn’t much money,” said Deputy Mayor David Martin, “and he didn’t seem overly concerned about the conditions, but we do have a capital improvement fund for the municipal building and we’ve used just about all of it to remodel the upstairs.”
Martin added that, since the aforementioned fund is ongoing, it would be wise to set aside some monies for the police department when it is time to figure out the budget.
“There is a new building in the 10-year plan but it was supposed to be fire, police and municipal departments. That’s in the long range, but I don’t see a new building happening overnight.”
Both Martin and Mayor Gary Aiken added that any changes would have to go through City Manager Austin Bleess.
“We can’t just go in there and tell them to start cleaning,” said Aiken. “It has to go through the city manager. I’ve made a few visits and don’t necessarily agree with the overcrowded statement. At any time there shouldn’t be more than two officers in there. It’s not like 10 people are all trying to work at once.”
Councilor Joan Theriault mentioned that Gorney called her regarding the issue as well, adding that it seems the station has become overwhelming with no place to for items that need to be put into storage.
“One of the things we do, once a year, is evaluate the city manager and give him a list of goals,” said Theriault. “A new building isn’t going to spring up overnight, but we could get someone to look at everything that needs to be put in storage, and then get someone to clean the facility. I have talked to Chief Gahagan about this and he will make a list of what’s needed and what isn’t, but you need professionals in there.”
Caribou Police Chief Michael Gahagan spoke about the conditions in detail during an interview on Friday, saying that the two biggest concerns are funding and storage.
“As stewards of the citizens’ money, we try to stretch as long as we can with what we have,” said Gahagan. “Sometimes the string breaks, but it looks like we’re going to rectify that. We do have some extra funding, but it’s not something that just happens the next day. It’s a process, and it’s something we have to budget for.”
The chief added that they have already contacted professional cleaners to come in more often, and that they have set aside money in next year’s budget for someone to redo the floors, paint, and fix some of the tiles.
At the time of the interview, a few individuals were already in the process of working on the building’s exterior.
Both the chief and city manager agree that the lack of storage space is one the most significant obstacles.
“Space is the biggest problem there,” said Bleess. “We’re trying, and right now there’s no way to make the space work any better than it is.”
“When I talk to new officers about the way it was, they don’t understand,” Gahagan explained. “You could carry everything in your right hand back then. Now you have to carry more forms, and even though it’s not all computerized, you still have to have a laptop and the ability to hook up to the Internet. We talk about going to a paperless world, but I have a whole storage area full of extra files we have to keep by statute.”
Even in a paperless environment, there is still a possibility of data stored on hard drives or via online cloud being accidentally deleted. As a result, police are still required to keep hard copies of complaints and cases, and it has to be stored somewhere.
“The average case is a couple years,” Gahagan said, “and you have to keep all the evidence, which takes up space. Cleaning up is one thing, but in reality the biggest issue is the amount of space we have to do our jobs.”
Bleess said, during an Oct. 3 phone interview, that the city has a comprehensive plan over the next three years to look at combining the police and fire station into one building.
“The fire station also needs to be remodeled to fit their truck requirements,” said Bleess. “We’re looking at the possibility of having both public safety entities under one roof. Everybody has suggested ideas, but we don’t have anything specific that we’re looking at right now.”
Bleess said the city would need to contact an architect or engineer to figure out how much space is required during the early planning phase.
“We’re putting some money away for a consultant to help us look at these things, and our next move depends on what happens with that study,” Bless said. “Like the (new preK-8) school project, it can take a while to build a new facility.”
