Moving swiftly ahead of schedule, the Los Banos Police Department celebrates its ongoing construction of the new police facility that will be finished by August.
Originally breaking ground in May of 2022, the new department will have many modern-day features compared to the old department built over 50 years ago.
Los Banos Police Service Manager Brenda Geary states, “The police department we are in currently was only built to last around 40-50 years and we are meeting that cut off right now,” Geary shared, “so we are really looking forward to being able to have a new department that can serve the town more efficiently for another 40-50 years.”
Following a consistent budget of $27.5 million dollars, the new department is built to be 8,000 square feet larger than the current department and is set to hold over a dozen new rooms with space for future growth.
Over 20 parking spots will be available to the public and staff, as well as a spacious and inviting visitor area to accommodate the public when entering.
One new and exciting feature that is being built is the private interview room that can be used for private conversations with officers and staff. Another new area being built is the public conference room, set for events such as school tours.
The new department will also have many new fundamental aspects to support the 48 sworn officers and 32 non-sworn staff that make up the Los Banos Police Department.
“We definitely outgrew the current police department,” Geary stated, “it was in our best interest to create less separation in our department for more efficient access to materials and space for work.”
The plan is for the police department to keep many of the same facilities the current department already holds, but be upgraded to contain more modernized technology and space for staff to fit to provide for the growing city of Los Banos.
Newer, never before seen features include an armory, traffic office, and a report writing room, just to name a few. Officers and staff are also very excited to receive more personal upgrades such as accommodating locker rooms, a gym, as well as a small kitchenette and bathrooms in proximity to all staff.
This new space will include more positions for higher end officers and staff in the future.
Construction on the department is set to finish by August and staff and officers are prepared to be fully moved into the building by mid-September.
“The people of Los Banos voted on us getting a new police department with their own sales tax,” Police Commander Ray Reyna stated, “so the public truly trusted us enough to create a new state of the art facility, which is exactly what we are doing.”
