OPINION: 'It's Time to Vote 'NO' Again'

The following is a letter to the editor and does no necessarily reflect the opinion of Patch or its editor.

“Medieval Times is calling, they want their castle back. Although Bethel rejected the extravagant 26,600 sq. ft., police palace proposal in a referendum last December, the Board of Selectmen are curious to see if we have changed our minds after they knocked off the proposed copper gutters.

On December 17th Bethel residents will be asked for a second time whether we support the excessive $13.5 million police station proposal. Again, VOTE NO. The proposal has two fundamental flaws, the first in the “Space Needs Study” which provides a false pretext for building such a massive and expensive building, and the second in its exaggerated utility for the town. Until meaningful alternatives are explored at a better suited location and at a fraction of the cost, we cannot support such superfluous spending, especially with the looming multi-million dollar renovations for our elementary schools coming in the next few years.

The first critical flaw in the supporter’s argument for the police station proposal is the citing of an “expert study” that mandates such excessive size. Arguments in support of the massive and wasteful $13.5 million proposal are ignorant of the tremendous bias included with the study that they often cite as fact.

With the amount of emphasis town officials have given their “Space Needs Study,” one might presume that the First Selectman, and the indolent police commission, and siting councils were all present at Mount Sinai when the coveted report, accompanied by booming thunder and crashing lighting, was thrust from the heavens. With their Ten Commandments “Space Needs Study” in hand, our town officials eagerly relinquished all obligations to provide any inquiry of their own.

Although they are quick to state that an investigation of alternative town owned properties was conducted, there was never a study produced for any location, not even the present police station property. No alternatives were proposed to the town, and our officials are actively trying to keep it that way. This reckless deviation from their civic obligation as the skeptical fiduciary has ultimately placed the proposal’s architectural firm in the driver’s seat for the entire Bethel police station revamp.

An architectural firm created the police station “Space Needs Study”, GASP! It wasn’t delivered from God. This same architectural firm also serves as the town’s expert police station consultant and stands to make nearly $1 million, if contracted, for their bid on the proposed building based off of the “Space Needs” requirements they invented.

Yet our town officials continue cite the “Space Needs Study” as unbiased fact to support the gigantic police station proposal as if the two are not one in the same. They came from the same source. Does anyone else see the problem here? But this is truly not the fault of the architectural firm which has been provided with very little guidance. Without any oversight or a skeptical analysis from our town officials, the current proposal calls for the biggest and MOST EXPENSIVE police station that can be possibly built in our small town. Where is the restraint?

The second critical flaw in the supporter’s argument for the police station proposal is the supposition that we require a massive police station because it will provide us with a safer community, thus its utility will be recognized by all residents. The truth is that an increasingly educated and affluent population, coupled with intelligent policing techniques has helped to facilitate our safe community.

Exactly how does dumping $13.5 million into a 26,600 sq. ft. building make us safer when we are already one of the safest towns in Connecticut? When our police officers are on duty are they all sitting in the police station waiting for an emergency? No, they are often out patrolling to create a community presence to deter crime and respond quickly to calls from any location in town (Another point worth noting is that the importance of a centrally located police station is negated by the disbursed patrolling of our officers). So what necessitates such a massive building?

The numbers just don’t add up.

Our Town:

• Very Low crime – Less than 5 violent crimes last year (So low that the Danbury News Times wrote an article about it)
• Population – Stable and not likely to increase. Therefore, the number of police officers and crime rates should remain stable as well.

Current Police Department Status:

• Police station floods during heavy storms – Can be fixed for less than $13.5 million
• Police station bathroom backs up – Can also be fixed for less than $13.5 million
• State Accreditation – Recently renewed earlier this fall for four more years
• Unfortunately neglected since last remodeling but certainly not useless and still functional

The New Police Station Proposal:

• 26,600 sq. ft. – Over 3x the size of the current station and larger than any neighboring town
• 120 ft. Radio Tower – Not included on any of the public renderings of the proposal
• 3 Acre Footprint – Devastates the beautiful meadow on the side of the high school
• 121 Parking Spaces – For only 37 Officers (Not all on duty at the same time)
• Firing Range – Does not belong in an educational park
• Jail space/Interrogation rooms - Enough to hold half the town (Well just about!)
• Further from Rockwell, Johnson, and the Middle School than current police station

The “Space Needs Study” is a sham and the utility for such a massive police station located in the educational park meadow is unfounded. VOTE NO until we are provided meaningful alternatives, including an examination of other viable locations and an appropriately sized building or renovation project with a reasonable cost.”

Anthony James, Bethel, Connecticut

Read More Viewpoints on New Police Station By Clicking Links Below:

Opinion: New Police Station is ‘Not Extravagant, Not a Palace’

OPINION: Proposed New Bethel Police Station is About More Than Location, Size or Cost

Bethel Police Chief Responds to Critic of Proposed New Police Station

Bethel Teen Makes Video to Encourage Voter Support of New Police Station

New Police Station Opinion: ‘Vote Yes To Get This Done’

[NORCIRC]