Police want to borrow $14 million for new forensics building
Hamilton police rank lowest among several large Ontario police forces for space for people to work
Hamilton police will present the most detailed pitch yet for why the service needs a new investigative/forensics building downtown at the meeting of its oversight board on Friday.
The project, first talked about in 2010, is expected to cost $24.3 million and be a two-storey building in the block between Mary, Wilson, Catharine and Rebecca streets downtown.
It was hoped the city would split the cost three ways with the province and federal governments, but both have said no.
So now police are asking their oversight board to approve a plan to borrow $14.2 million.
The pitch will come to the board alongside other competing visions for how the service should be accounting for and spending its money.
How to pay for a new police building
To cover the yearly $1.14 million payments on the loan, they plan to roll over an existing $716,000 mortgage payment on the Mountain station once that is paid off in 2019, and "reallocate" another $429,000 from other operations funds.
The report emphasizes there is "zero impact" to the annual operating budget. But it does not say what operations will be cut or diminished by that reallocation.
Here's how the police plan to pay for the rest of the building:
- $6.5 million in reserves already earmarked for the investigative building
- an estimated $600,000 from selling the Upper Wellington Station
- $3 million from a development reserve
On Friday, the board will also consider a request from the city council, put forward by Coun. Matthew Green, to put the service's $3.7 million 2015 surplus in its "tax stabilization" account — meant to help offset future budget increases— instead of mostly in a special fund for capital projects like the new building.
At the time that motion was being considered, Coun. Lloyd Ferguson, who also chairs the Police Services Board, said the request was redundant.
"You can try to send us a message, but the board's already made their decision," he said.
Police say they're in tight quarters
Police say they need 60,000 square feet of space – immediately. The report to be heard Friday identifies Hamilton Police Services "space density," or how many square feet per employee, as lower than Waterloo, Niagara, London, Ottawa and Toronto services.
The new building would bump the ratio "just within the acceptable range," the report states.
They want to get the project rolling next spring, with an eye on wrapping up construction by end of 2018 or beginning of 2019.
Estimates for the space go back to the mid-1990s, when a consultant identified a need for new forensics labs at the police service.
Plus, the service wants to bring together investigators that are currently spread over three buildings.
The board's agenda also includes a letter from Rob Gale, the chairman of Niagara's police board, suggesting the two forces get together to talk about things they could share – even possibly space for forensics.
The board was not scheduled to meet this month but added the meeting date last week.
Also on the agenda for Friday's meeting:
- Carding: The province has released some considerations for the board to look at as it pens its policies for regulating the practice of carding, or any interactions that police officers have with members of the public who aren't suspected of crimes.
Hamilton's board already released its draft policies before these considerations came out, but we reported the people who've been protesting the practice were disappointed they hadn't been consulted.
- Social media: The board will discuss directing the chief to review the service's internet and social media policy. The service told CBC Hamilton that senior officials at Hamilton police have already been reviewing the service's online code of conduct, while an investigation is ongoing about an officer's online activity allegedly supporting anti-Muslim rhetoric.
Here's the current internet policy.
You can read the reports and agenda here.