Town of Newton, NH - Current Shortcomings

Needed: It is anticipated that 3 garage bays are needed for: 1) Forensic Seizures – vehicles used in crimes such as armed robberies, assaults, and sexual assaults, that need to be forensically processed; 2) Storage and maintenance of OHRVs, department bicycle, and cruiser maintenance; 3) Sally port for unloading arrests in a secure area for both prisoner and officer safety.

Needed: An impound yard is needed to: 1) hold vehicles that have been used in other crimes including fatal and serious personal injury accidents that require processing; 2) hold other impounded property including bicycles, etc.

Needed: An area is needed for departmental trainings and monthly department meetings. Currently the department uses the general office area for department meetings. This area does not allow seating for everyone and is not conducive to meetings or training sessions.

Currently: The current prisoner booking room is not a secure room. It gives unruly and combative prisoners access to the administrative area and potentially to the rest of the PD. The room is not physically conducive to officer safety and does not flow with proper and correct prisoner handling methods.

Currently: The current administrative area does not flow with walk-in traffic. The Clerk/Secretary has to leave her work station (radios, telephone and computer) in order to handle walk-in traffic.

Needed: The administrative area should allow the Clerk/Secretary to greet visitors and handle walk-in traffic from her work station.

Currently: The current foyer/lobby is very small. If more than one visiter comes in at the same time, they are bumping into each other. There is also not enough room for forms and literature.

Needed: A larger lobby area is needed so that multiple visitors are able to sit comfortably. The lobby should also provide an area for visitors to fill out forms.

Currently: There is no kitchen and no separate area for employees to eat lunch. The refrigerator and microwave are located in the general office area which makes the area cramped and unsanitary.

Currently: The current parking lot is too small. When there are more than a handful of employees and visitors in the building at the same time, parking is cramped and potentially hazardous.

Needed: A larger area is needed for employee and visitor parking. This area should also be well lit at night and provide a secure area for employee parking.

Currently: There is one storage closet in the building. This closet is approximately 8’6” x 5’6” in size and is full. Because this is the only storage closet, office supplies and miscellaneous equipment are stored throughout the building in random areas.

Needed: Additional space is needed to organize and store uniforms, equipment, firearms and ammunition, office and computer supplies.

Currently: The current officer’s room is 14’ x 12’ and is extremely cramped. It is the administrative area for 4 full-time and 12 part-time officers and also the animal control officer. It also houses all the department forms, employee bulletin boards, roll call information, and is the main area for information exchange and interviews.

Currently: Department records are stored in file cabinets in a hallway that leads to the main entrance and exit for department employees. Because of these file cabinets, this hallway is left with a clearance space of 2’7” in width. Archived records which must be kept in perpetuity by NH statute are kept in a storage trailer that leaks and has had several files eaten and otherwise destroyed by mice.

Currently: There is one locker room that is too small, does not have enough lockers for all sworn personnel, and has one shower stall.

Needed: A larger locker room is needed to provide room for additional lockers, a seating area, and a separate area for female officers.

Needed: An Interview Room is needed for private conversations ranging from domestic and assault issues to criminal investigations.

Needed: A Supervisors Office is needed so that supervisors can conduct performance appraisals and have personal conversations with their subordinates.

Needed: The state of NH has an ongoing requirement for police officers to pass a physical fitness test. An exercise room and physical training room would help officers to stay in compliance with the state.

Currently: The building that houses the Newton Police Department is overcrowded, cramped and just too small. The IACP recommends 300 – 350 square feet for each full time employee. Currently there are 7 full-time employees and 11 part-time employees which means a minimum recommendation of 2,100 square feet. The existing building is 1,296 square feet which means the existing building is 504 square feet short, or the equivalent of 4 10x12 rooms.

The FBI recommends 1 officer for every 500 residents. The Newton Police Department currently employs 1 officer for every 1,000 residents.

Needed: The minimum recommended square footage (300) times the number of recommended officers (10) means a proposed 3,000 square foot building. This proposed square footage is in accordance with today’s standards and does not take into consideration any anticipated town growth.