OXFORD – Village Police in Oxford may soon be climbing to new heights if a proposed action to relocate its offices is carried out.
On Tuesday evening, Oxford Police Chief Rich Nolan proposed the relocation of the Village's police department – or at least most of it – to the second floor in the “Bank Building” where it is presently located.
According to Nolan, the OPD has outgrown the current location which is situated to the rear of the building which encompasses the village’s municipal and billing offices on the corner of LaFayette Park and South Canal street (Rt.12).
“The department is becoming an increasing hazard,” said Nolan who indicated that there have been at least three patrolman injuries due to space deficiencies.
With the announcement that the Law Offices of Roger Monaco – a tenant that has occupied the second level of the building for more than 20 years – will soon vacate the location, Nolan urged that now is the time to take advantage of the shift.
“I believe the current office is a danger to personnel,” said Nolan, who cited that government regulations require the department have more room to separate juveniles from adults.
Nolan indicates that when those tight quarters are coupled with a belligerent individual(s) that are held in custody – as is sometimes the case in his line of work – the end result is potentially dangerous for both police and public.
The Oxford Chief, who has been steadfastly planning all aspects of the potential move recently, offered interim floor plans and introduced a cost effective means of furnishing the new area.
Village trustees carried a motion to approve $3,000 for the acquisition of surplus furniture from a retailer that specializes in offering nonprofits liquidated furnishings at nearly 95 percent savings.
According to Nolan, the furnishings carry a retail price tag of nearly $32,000 – and would come at a substantial cost savings to the village if his department were granted permission to purchase it for the proposed $150 plus $2,700 for shipping and moving.
Oxford Mayor, Terry Stark, voiced concern over the potential loss of revenue. “We would be replacing a positive income of close to $6,000 annually with a non-taxable nonprofit that would pay no rent,” said Stark. “We need to act carefully and methodically if we are to do this.”
Nolan quickly assured that his department only use a portion of the floorspace on the second level, and that remaining floorspace could be further developed and utilized by other business entities. “We'd make sure they have great security up there,” said Nolan.
Currently, there is no elevator in the building. If all goes as planned, OPD would not only inhibit the proposed new location on the second level, but would also maintain the current office space on the first level of the building.
While the majority of police business would be conducted in the new location, officers would still “process” and fingerprint individuals – and meet with handicapped or intoxicated persons – within the confines of the current ground level location; a measure that was suggested to be temporary.
Extensive renovations to the Bank Building – of which a large-scale repointing project is in progress – would likely include the installation of an elevator in the future.
Stark indicated the village was awarded grant money to the Oxford Bank Building Repair Project recently.
Prior to the presentation, Nolan presented figures from a recent two-day traffic stop along South Canal Street where 38 traffic tickets were written, generating what he estimates to be nearly $8,000 in revenue for the village.
The OPD was eventually given the green light on the proposed purchases and the items will be stored in the future OPD space until renovations can be planned and carried out in the future.