Police chief outlines six‑bay garage to protect cars, add training and records space

Police Chief Ray described a proposed patrol‑vehicle facility to protect vehicles, secure evidence, and provide dedicated training space. He said the department operates five patrol cars and that enclosing a six‑bay area would reduce exposure to weather and vandalism, protect privacy during processing of suspects, free interior space for records and evidence storage, and support the department’s accreditation process. "Constructing this garage patrol vehicle facility would provide substantial long term benefits to the police department as a whole," he said.

Council members pressed for specifics: they asked whether six bays would be sufficient, whether the garage would be space‑conditioned and heated for year‑round training, and whether work would interfere with recent locker‑room renovations. Chief Ray said the garage would not affect the recent renovations, that HVAC would be desirable for training, and that he could not yet provide a definitive annual hour total for in‑house training; he offered to host tours of the station by appointment. No vote or funding commitment was taken during the meeting.