City of Hollywood leaders are continuing to promote the General Obligation bond. On Saturday, February 2, city leaders including Mayor Josh Levy participated in tour of the Hollywood Police Station. Chief Chris O’Brien led the tour and showed a station that he believes needs to be replaced.
One major problem is the lobby. Police leaders say that if a crime victim comes to the very small lobby, there is no place where they can meet with an officer in private. A new station would have a larger lobby.
According to a statement by the City of Hollywood, the Police Headquarters opened up in 1975. At the time, the City’s population was about 107,000 with 227 sworn officers. Now the population has grown by about 50 percent and has more than 320 officers. The proposed 120 square foot technologically advanced Police Headquarters will be operationally efficient with modern communications and crime-fighting technology to the police can do a better job of keeping the community safe.
Some of the problems with the current building include that it is not rated to withstand a strong hurricane and has inadequate building security. It has outdated and undersized training facilities. The property and evidence section are overcrowded. There are no private areas for victim and officer meetings a lack of space for records storage. The HVAC and electrical grid are failing and the plumbing system is aging. The storage for SWAT and Field Force equipment is insufficient. There is lack of secure parking for police vehicles.
The estimated cost of the Hollywood Police Headquarters project would be $72,551,950.