PRENTISS SMITH
Contributing Columnist
Well, if it is a new year, then it has to be a new bond proposal, and if there is a new bond proposal, then there is also a continued outcry to build a new police headquarters, which is much needed. Building a new facility might be cost-prohibitive, which could lead to an effort to purchase a current property that may be available, like the old Sears building in Mall St. Vincent that is being seriously considered.
The mayor is offering a new bond proposal, and maybe he has learned the all too important lesson of communicating with his customers. His customers happen to be the citizens of Shreveport, to whom he is accountable. In the past, his efforts left a lot to be desired, but paraphrasing Councilman Nickelson, the mayor is approaching this bond proposal in a more professional and focused way.
There were many Shreveporters who were not pleased with the way the first bond proposal was handled. They didn’t think they were a part of the process, and the mayor and his administration did a poor job selling the proposal. That does not appear to be the case this time, and it is clear that the listening tour, which involved the mayor speaking to constituents in every district, has been successful in educating the public about the new proposal.
The new proposal is reportedly to be in the neighborhood of $242 million, which is a big number. The most important component of the proposal is the public safety portion that proposes to spend approximately $70 million on law enforcement, which is sufficient but not enough. The mayor should err on the high side with respect to public safety, but $70 million is a good starting place.
Currently, there is a recommendation on the table to purchase the old Sears building at Mall St. Vincent and convert it into police headquarters. It is certainly big enough and has more than enough parking space for people who will be doing police business. It also has a large area of bays that can be used for maintenance of vehicles and other functions.
The cost of building a brand-new police headquarters is going to be very high, given the rise in building materials and supplies. Councilman Grayson Boucher, who has been spearheading this effort, believes that this would be a viable alternative to trying to build a new headquarters building. The costs certainly have gone up from earlier estimates of $20 million. It would probably be in the neighborhood of $30 to $35 million today, which is too high.
The Sears building offers the mayor and the city council a real alternative to building a new facility. Renovating the building would be a lot cheaper than building a new headquarters building. The city needs to be as prudent as possible with the citizens’ money, and buying this building and making the necessary improvements could allow for more of the bond proposal funds to be used on other important needs of the department, which include hiring of new officers and upgrading equipment.
Councilman Boucher deserves a lot of credit for thinking out of the box and bringing this idea to the table. It is a serious proposal, and the mayor, along with Chief Raymond, should give it strong consideration as the process moves forward. Purchasing the Sears building will also cut the need from four substations to three substations, because of its location. That would be a substantial savings.
It is way past time to provide a modern police headquarters for the city of Shreveport. The citizens deserve it, but more than that, the officers and administrative personnel deserve a facility that they can be proud of and proud to go to work at every day. The current facility is deplorable, and the quicker the city can provide a better space, the better, and the Sears building should be given serious consideration to be the new home of the Shreveport Police Department. And that’s the way I see it. smithpren@aol.com