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Smyrna Police Department |
There is a need for a new police department building. From the most basic perspective, the town of Smyrna has grown significantly in the past several years. This creates a larger area the officers must patrol, which has increased the number of officers and vehicles required to keep Smyrna safe. These increases have made the police officers outgrow their own department. Currently several officers are actually utilizing offices located in the public works building. Having officers need to travel back and forth between buildings in order to do simple tasks is a hindering on their ability to efficiently do their jobs and aid the citizens of the community.
Furthermore, due to the age of the current police department building, it does not meet the requirements for accreditation. Accreditation of the police department makes them eligible for federal grant funding. Although this might not seem important, federal grant funding significantly decreases funding required by the community for the department. Through various federal agencies funding can be acquired to cover the costs of new police cruisers, technology equipment (such as their recently awarded Panasonic Toughbook), training, and various other items that assist in the policing abilities of the department.
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Chief Wil Bordley |
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Proposed Police Department |
The cost of the new police department is estimated to be up to $4.9 million. However, that estimate is a worst-case scenario, and it is expected to be built for significantly less. In terms of taxes, taxes could go up 4.5 cents per $100 of assessed value. Although no resident likes to hear that a tax increase will occur, for the majority of homeowners in the town of Smyrna, that increase equates to only $4-$8/month.
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