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Settling into new station

The Clintonville Police Department has a new home after moving to 35 S. Clinton Ave. Monday, June 4.

The new facility is larger and offers more utility for the department.

“We had lots of help moving everything,” said Police Chief Terry Lorge. “The Park and Rec department helped us quite a bit with moving and landscaping. Employees from just about every city department pitched in to help with the move. We started at 9 a.m. and finished at about 6 p.m. Officers were still working during the day, but helped wherever they were needed as their schedules allowed.”

Computer, phone and radio systems were also switched over, and Lorge said a new antenna was installed atop the Angelus building. The department had been running on a backup antenna, after the main one had been struck by lightning last year. Lorge said the new antenna was much needed for the main system which includes a microwave link system between the transmitters and the antennas. The tower at the new police station also has a backup antenna. The fire and severe weather sirens are now controlled by radio signal from dispatch rather than hardwire lines that can be costly. The building has a backup generator that can run the most important components of the station if power is lost.

Lorge said the garage space is about the same as what the department had at their old location, but the new garage is much safer. He also stated that the new facility offers about 1,000 square feet of added space.

“There is no other equipment hanging above you or close by. It’s not as crowded,” said Lorge, who explained that fire department equipment occupied much of the space in the garage attached to City Hall. “It’s nice to not have to worry about a fireman’s axe within reach when you’re transporting a prisoner, or anywhere near the holding cell. It’s also good because the fire department now has more space for their equipment, as well as additional office space.”

The new police station has two workstations and larger offices for dispatchers and higher ranking officers. A records room is adjacent to the dispatch area, containing eight years of records close at hand. In the past, records were stored in a remote area of City Hall, and dispatchers had to get someone to cover for them if they needed to retrieve a specific document.

The station also has three interview rooms and a conference room with a projector and screen. Two holding cells are also part of the station; in the past, the department had just one holding cell.

A lounge with lockers and a break room is another nice feature of the facility. Building security via video cameras inside and outside the station is another added feature, and old cameras will be used to monitor City Hall. Lorge said Probation and Parole will now be able to work from the new station, as opposed to being at City Hall for the previous 30-plus years.

“Everything flows better and is more functional here at the new station,” Lorge said. “I remember moving to our old offices in July 1978, and it was a wonderful change back then. This new station is another wonderful change. It’s laid out much better. We re-worked the building plans seven or eight times before we settled on the design that we felt would best use the space available. It’s much better than what we had.”

Lorge said the department will install signage and a flagpole once they arrive. He also stated that he and his wife would donate a bench to be placed outside the building.

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