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22 SIGNAL TRIBUNE THE NEW SIGNAL HILL POLICE STATION
JANUARY 25, 2013
Signal Hill Police Department looks forward to new era for local public safety Sean Belk
I
Staff Writer
n many ways, the Signal Hill Police Department’s new state-of-the-art 21,500-square-foot police station marks a new era for local public safety. As the City continues to grow, so too have the needs of the police department, which is required to meet new emergencyresponse standards and upgrade to high-tech communication systems. Signal Hill Police Chief Michael Langston said the added space for the police department’s more than 50-member staff and modern building features now boosts the department’s capabilities. The new station, he said, will be one of the newest police facilities in the region and a model for the latest police technology. “There’s a lot of new technology in the building that will help us to be more efficient and a little more effective than we are today,” Langston said. Some of the building’s new features include: a modernized jail facility with eight cells, which are controlled by a digital “touch screen” and meet the latest California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation standards; ergonomic workstations for police staff to sit or stand during long shifts; video-conferencing capabilities for inmates to talk with family members or attorneys from the lobby; “hard” and “soft” interviewing rooms; collapsible file-storage for the records bureau; a fitness room; sleeping quarters; and outlets in each locker for patrol
officers to recharge electronic devices. The new police station also meets today’s “central services” standards, Langston said, adding that the new facility was built to withstand major earthquakes, floods, winds or any other natural disasters. In addition, the new building was designed with environmentally friendly features, including solar panels on top of the station’s vehicle port, natural lighting throughout the building and drought-tolerant landscaping with a water-treating “bio-swale” system. Langston said nearby jurisdictions looking to upgrade police facilities, such as the Long Beach Police Department, will benefit from seeing the design of such a modern police station. “I think we all benefit from a new building in that I’m sure there will be other departments coming here to look and see what this department has done,” he said. “I think it’s a state-of-the-art facility and certainly something for all of us to be proud of.” Langston said one of the goals of building an expanded emergency-operations center (EOC) in the new police facility was to
provide a “focal point” for community gatherings for local organizations and emergency-response operations for nearby jurisdictions, including the Los Angeles County Fire Department, which contracts with Signal Hill. “We have a vision that the new police facility is really going to serve as a ‘community’ police station and, hopefully, people will feel comfortable coming here,” he said. “We have a good relationship with the community, and this facility will help us to improve that.” Signal Hill Deputy City Manager Charlie Honeycutt added that keeping the City safe will continue to be a top goal, and the new facility will only enhance the community’s relationship with the police department. “What we’ve always seen is the City has made the police department a high priority,” he said. “If you talk to residents and businesses, the police department has been held in high regard in the community… And, 50 years from now, if the City has a lot of growth, this building has been designed to expand.”
Congratulations on your new home,
S.H. Police Department! from
1640 E. Burnett St.
The Emergency Operations Center in the new Signal Hill police station
Matt Sun/Signal Tribune