Construction is underway on the Bargersville Police Department’s future headquarters at the northwest corner of Whiteland and Morgantown roads.
SCOTT ROBERSON | DAILY JOURNAL
The $3.6 million Bargersville police station is designed as much for the people of the town as it is for the officers, town officials say.
After years of planning, the Bargersville Police Department will have a new building to call home by the end of next year. Construction of the new station is underway at the northwest corner of Morgantown and Whiteland roads.
The department’s current station in Old Town Bargersville is less convenient for many in the growing community, as exponential growth is taking place on the outskirts of town, particularly on the northside. The new location was chosen based on the population and to provide quicker access for the police and the public, said Todd Bertram, police chief.
The more central location will benefit officers, but to Bertram, the public having easy access is even more important, he said. Officers are typically on patrol throughout the city during their shifts, he said.
That new station was a long time coming. For two decades, the department has relied on hand-me-down town buildings and rental properties. The proposal to make a more permanent space was brought to the town council in 2014, and the project was put off for several years, Bertram said.
He credits the current town council for finally getting the much-needed project off the ground.
This building, designed by Noblesville-based Peterson Architecture, will have accessible public areas on the ground floor, and evidence storage and a training room in the basement, Bertram said.
The station is designed to be a place where people can feel comfortable coming, especially when they need to report a crime. The current station is not inviting to the public and is in a constant state of disarray, because it is a small space that was converted for police use.
“They come into our police department and really, we have no place to store anything. File cabinets (are) stored everywhere,” Bertram said. “Our interview room is — well they’re supposed to be small — but this is really not the way they’re supposed to be.”
The current station has a small waiting room, insufficient space for interrogations and doesn’t have an appropriate setup for child interviews. All of those issues will be resolved in the new building, he said.
The new station will also have a large meeting room outfitted with the best technology, which Bargersville police and other agencies will use for training. Other local law enforcement agencies will also be able to use interview rooms if they have a need while in the area, Bertram said.
Next year’s police department budget is about $1.7 million. New expenditures include training a new police dog, hiring two new officers and promoting an existing officer. The department will need to outfit the K-9 and new officers with equipment, and purchase five new patrol vehicles. Three are replacing current vehicles, while two will be added. Three of the vehicles will likely be Tesla’s, and two will be trucks, said Laura Kennedy, spokesperson for the town.
For the department’s fleet of Tesla’s, there will be six charging stations on the property, which will be used by officers and potentially the public. The department is exploring options for making some electric car chargers open to the public through a partnership with Johnson County REMC, said Julie Young, town manager.
There is not a lot of electric car charging infrastructure between Bargersville and Indianapolis, though it is a heavily trafficked area, Bertram said.
As the town continues to grow, the new station is hoped to show residents the community is investing in public safety, Kennedy said.
