Anonymous
Source: City of Santa Barbara
MEETING NOTICE: New Police Station Site Selection Process
The City of Santa Barbara is in the process of selecting a site in the downtown area for the Police Department’s new Police Station. The existing Station located at 215 E. Figueroa St. was built in 1959 and designed to accommodate a staff of 85 serving a population of 58,000. Today, the Department has 211 staff serving 92,000. The existing building is undersized, out of date, and does not meet seismic safety or accessibility standards.
You are invited to attend any of the upcoming family-friendly meetings to learn more about the project. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and provide comments.
Spanish translation and light refreshments will be available at all three meetings.
Meet Police Chief Lori Luhnow, who will provide a brief project overview at the beginning of the meeting!
40 E. Anapamu Street
Compare city staffing to all other coastal cities of similar size and mission. Santa Barbara employs twice as many staff members, as all the others, except for the very liberal governments of Santa Monica and Berkeley. Government employee and those dependent on government services represents tremendous block voting powers. No wonder the city or county is not open to other forms of private employment in this county – they want to keep the political monopoly in their own hands.
Population when from 58K to 92K a 58.6% increase, staff when from 85 to 211 a 148% increase —
I think that is the crux of the problem, too many people on the staff. Reduce staff to 135 and we need and most of the requirement goes away.
It would be a good exercise to look at all city staffing compared to 1959 and cut accordingly.
Also they now have huge increase in time saving technology .
The alternatives being presented are just a dog and pony show. Real alternatives aren’t even being suggested. For example, get the national guard armory at Las Positas and State and put a police station there. This would be mid-city and bring some services to areas currently heavily neglected or ignored. There is no reason the police need to stay downtown near the courts and DA. Other law enforcement works just fine at a distance.
They need to think big and to the future. The Army Reserve site at State and Las Positas has LOTS of room to meet the current needs and future growth.