Safety comes first at the new Scituate Safety Complex. Chief Mark Thompson took time out of his busy schedule, and gave The Scituation a detailed tour of the new public safety building. In the ninety minute tour, we covered the entire building, starting with the new garage where police securely transport prisoners, up the second floor to the administrative offices and to the physical plant equipped with a new helipad.

The building location was controversial, but Thompson assured us that locating it on 3A (Chief Justice Cushing Highway) was the best solution for everyone. Other possible options for the complex included the current high school site or Country Way at the Purple Dinosaur Park. Country Way was deemed too residential and there wasn’t enough space on the high school campus with the new middle school. Splitting the building between Fire and Police gives the site additional presence. The site on 3A had the largest plot of land, and its central location will decrease the response time of both the police and fire departments.

Points of interest along the tour:

The new facility includes a triage center on the fire department side of the building. The public will be able to stop in for “relatively small” medical procedures. For example, if someone has open heart surgery on a Wednesday, they could come in on Thursday to get their bandages changed. Bloody noses, splinters and potentially broken arms are among the multiple injuries the Scituate triage will be able to evaluate and treat. People can stop into the triage center and either receive treatment on site or be sent to the hospital from there.

The police side of the safety complex will have a large community room where there are multiple opportunities for different uses. The large room can be used for classes and training for the officers. The room could also be used for important town meetings. The public will be able to utilize the space, which will double as the Emergency Response Center in the case of cataclysmic or adversely routine tropical storms. There is a gap on the wall that will be able to hold a screen because in the case of an intense storm, news outlets would be able to utilize the room to interview the police and fire chiefs without wind and snow blocking the sound.

One of the most important differences between the new and the old police facilities is the set up. In the old building, if someone was arrested and brought into the station, he or she walked through the entire facility. In the interest of safety and confidentiality, the new building includes a garage where police cars will enter. From there, the doors are locked, and the police officer has time to get prepared before unloading anyone being held in custody. Then, they are brought into a holding pen where there are rooms for ten people. Thompson said the holding area “gets filled on the third of July.” This new system keeps the prisoners separate from the rest of the building. This area can’t be accessed by the public at any times.

The most glaring difference between the current station and the former station is the new gym space. After closing the shooting range in the basement of the old facility, a basic gym was set up the officers. The new building includes a state-of-the-art workout area with ample space for the officers to let off some steam and keep in shape.

After the grand opening, the public will be able to go inside the building and get a look at the new and improved building.