The Moose Jaw Police Service didn’t have to look far for additional parking, storage and office accommodations, considering the extra space it needed is across the street in the former Times-Herald building.
The agency’s headquarters was constructed in 1985 when it was attached to city hall and met the organization’s needs for years. The number of employees and specialty departments have grown since then to meet the community’s needs, leading to further space restrictions, explained a report presented during the Board of Police Commissioners’ recent meeting.
Staffing levels reached 64 officers in 2022 compared to 52 members in 2012, while the organization expects to receive more provincially funded positions in the future. The number of civilian personnel has also grown with the addition of several media officers.
Besides extra office space, the police service (MJPS) also needed a larger meeting space to hold public gatherings.
“A unique and unprecedented opportunity was identified as a possible short- to mid-range solution to our current space restrictions. The former Times-Herald building has been purchased (by Gold Key Investments) and is being re-purposed to office and business space,” the report said.
There are 233.64 square metres (2,596 square feet) of vacant space available for lease on the east side with the possibility of extra space for further storage, the document continued. Since this location is across from police HQ, “it would be a rare and ideal location to expand in size.”
The MJPS executive presented a proposal to the police board during an in-camera — behind closed doors — session on Aug. 18, 2022, about securing this space, with the board approving the project, said the report.
The organization plans to relocate its Community and Strategic Services division — which includes eight staff in Victims’ Services, the school resource officer and communications officers — to the former Times-Herald building and turn those vacated offices into a public meeting space.
The costs to transform those offices have been included in the 2023 budget.
The police service and Gold Key Investments finalized and signed a five-year lease agreement in January worth $5,000 a month, which allowed the agency to begin renovations to transform the space into a suitable office environment, the report said.
“(There’s) not much to see now, (just) a lot of studs and a lot of drywall,” Deputy Police Chief Rick Johns said with a chuckle during the police board meeting.
Police leadership expects to take possession of the space on Monday, May 1, at which point the Community and Strategic Services division will move across the street. Contractors will then begin to renovate the former office space at police HQ into the meeting space.
Besides possessing “significant storage,” the new location will also allow the MJPS to park more of its vehicles there, Johns said.
The organization has 26 cars and only 20 stalls inside the station’s garage, so the extra parking at the former Times-Herald building — there is above-ground parking — will alleviate the issue of cramming in vehicles, he continued. The agency can then turn some vacated stalls into change rooms.
Moving the Community and Strategic Services team will benefit many people, especially those who are uncomfortable entering the police station, Johns added. This re-location will also limit most interactions between an offender and the victim.
“It’s exciting,” said board chair Mary Lee Booth.
“Yeah, it will be a good change,” agreed Johns.
The next police board meeting is Thursday, May 11, at 7 p.m. at the public library.
