London Police station expantion/redevelopment

[sparky212]

I have got some pics from the city bus a couple days ago and they are on flikr how do I post them here

[SteelTown]

If you have it on flickr just copy the link and do this...

[img] add your entire link here [\img]

Use / instead of \ though. I used \ to show the tags.

[sparky212]

by me.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/42366848@N07/3980581208/in/photostream/

[ldoto]

London's police officers now have what their chief calls "the best (shooting) range in Ontario."

The media got a sneak peak yesterday at the $22-million London police headquarters addition, complete with the new gun range, locker rooms, vehicle bay and offices.

"Police work is difficult work and by having a good space for the officers to come back to -- clean locker rooms, places to drop off their wet equipment -- we think it will be a positive work environment for them," said Deputy Chief Brad Duncan.

"When the old building was built in 1974, the equipment was very basic. You had your hand gun, your hat and a billy club. Now it's a lot more sophisticated."

Phase one of the renovation project -- a massive new addition -- is finished and uniformed officers are starting to move into their new space.

Phase two, the renovation of the old building, is still about a year away from completion.

The project costs nearly $34 million.

"There's no looking back. We have a building that is functional, efficient and safe for our officers," said Chief Murray Faulkner.

Besides the day-to-day improvements for officers, the addition also has an outdoor storage area for the new mobile command unit and a hostage-negotiation vehicle, which is easier to access for officers than the former location, which was off-site.

A new diesel generator can be up and running within five seconds of a brownout and can operate for 36 hours without a refuelling. London police headquarters is the main site for the city's managers in case of an emergency, so it's important for the building be operational no matter what.

Although the addition was supposed to be finished in April, problems with the roof pushed back the expansion until now. But after working out kinks and last-minute details, officers will be able to move into their new building in the next few weeks, Faulkner said.

After that, work will continue on the old part of the police headquarters, which should be finished in about 10 months.

"The old building was built in a citadel-style, with tiny windows and we were very closed off," Faulkner said.

"Now, it's all about brightness and community policing so we have to move that way, too."

AMONG THE FEATURES OF THE NEW HEADQUARTERS


A new parking bay with 93 spaces for parking, up from the former bay that had 78 spaces. The new parking area also has two exits -- the old one only had one -- and heated floors so cruisers don't have to deal with ice buildup as they did before.

New locker rooms. There are 564 lockers for male officers and 148 for female officers. A removable wall between the two rooms can be adjusted when gender ratios change. The lockers are almost twice as big as the old ones, and offices won't have to keep their shoes, coats and bags outside the lockers, as they do now, because there's so little space. There's also a new drying room for any equipment or uniforms that get wet during a shift.

A shooting range that will allow officers to qualify twice-yearly to use their firearms. The room is insulated so shots can't be heard outside, and includes targets that can move forward and backward and sideways to better simulate a fleeing suspect. The shooting range also allows officers to play recorded sounds such as shouting, sirens and gunfire, as well as flashing and dimmed lights that can better reflect a night-time or real-emergency scenario.

An expanded space for working out. The equipment is the same, but the space is larger, made with special flooring and ventilation for a more comfortable atmosphere.

The addition is generally roomier, better ventilated and brighter.

[ForestryW]

Pics or it didn't happen.

[sparky212]

well this one is finnaly finnished