FOP supports Public Safety Center

Det. Chris Cook
The Edmond Sun

EDMOND October 17, 2008 11:10 pm

— This is in response to Randel Shadid’s guest opinion (“Public Safety Center vote needs more thought,” Oct. 10, The Edmond Sun) regarding the proposed Edmond Public Safety Center.
My name is Chris Cook. I am the president of the Edmond Fraternal Order of Police and a detective with the Edmond Police Department. We are urging residents to vote yes to the proposed new Safety Center that will house the Police Department, Emergency Management and the 9-1-1 Call Center.
I would like to clear up erroneous information that was included in Shadid’s recent column.
Getting The Facts Straight
No. 1, the building will cost $379 per square foot, not the more than $400 stated by Shadid. This is not the same as building a house, laboratories, a
9-1-1 Center and the jail facility requires extra security measures, which increases the cost per square foot.
No. 2, Shadid failed to mention that the Benham Group that recommended a 55,000-square-foot facility was not a police design team and did not have the knowledge of how Police Departments evolve as they grow and require space needs for that growth. The Benham Group was looking at today’s needs — we need a space that will take us many years into the future.
The second design group came up with a larger facility because they added in the 9-1-1 Call Center, Emergency Management and the Emergency Operations Center.
Shadid then compared the proposed Public Safety Center to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation building. That is a building that is a lab and will only house 60 people. The proposed Public Safety Center eventually will house more than 350 personnel and is smaller in square footage than the OSBI facility.
Should we just repeat our old mistakes, shouldn’t be learn from history? In 1995 the city built for the needs of 1995, that was shallow thinking then, and it would be again today, if we take that same path.
By building this proposed Public Safety Center, we are trying to plan for the future by building a structure that will fit Edmond’s needs 20 to 50 years down the road.
No. 3, Shadid’s suggestion of leaving the Police Department building downtown, would drive the cost of the project up several million dollars, which is irresponsible spending of taxpayer’s money.
No. 4, the funding source is also an issue for Shadid. Proposed funding sources were studied by the city’s Finance Committee, which consists of financial leaders and advisers in the community, it was not handled by city staff.
When considering sales tax versus property tax it was obvious that funding the project with property taxes will save taxpayers several million dollars.
In fact, the City of Edmond’s Treasurer Stephen Schaus says that the General Obligation bond will save taxpayers about $14 million. On the other hand, a sales tax would require the city borrow several million dollars more than needed as a reserve fund, and the interest rates would have been much higher. Even with the proposed property tax increase, Edmond still would have the lowest millage rate of all major surrounding communities.
No. 5, Shadid mentioned the Edmond Public Schools in his letter. As a matter of record, Edmond Public School officials have been included in the talks regarding the proposed Public Safety Center and understand the need for the facility and do not oppose the proposed funding mechanism.
No. 6, lastly, Shadid says there is a lack of support from former Edmond mayors for the proposed Public Safety Center. This is definitely not true as former Mayor Carl Reherman sat on the community needs assessment committee and is the campaign manager for the “Vote Yes, Keep Edmond Safe” campaign. Sounds like not only support, but resounding support.
There are a few, yet loud opponents of the proposed Public Safety Center, and they are all opposed to the project because of their own vested interests. We are asking everyone to get informed and know the truth. A good place to start is at this Web site, edmondok.com, select Public Safety Center and watch the video.
The bottom line, Edmond needs a new Police Station and 9-1-1 Call Center to continue to provide the outstanding professional service our residents have come to expect.
This is more than a slogan, it is a fact — Keep Edmond Safe, Vote Yes on Proposition 1 Nov. 4.
DET. CHRIS COOK is a member of the Edmond Police Department and president of the Edmond Fraternal Order of Police.