New Public Safety Facility Transforms Police Operations and Attracts Job Applicants
The 50,000-square-foot building features state-of-the-art technology and shared training spaces, with officers reporting significant morale improvements since the move.
HINGHAM - August 12 - Hingham's newly opened Public Safety Facility has dramatically improved police operations and officer morale, with the state-of-the-art building already attracting job applicants who specifically cite the facility as a reason for wanting to work in the department.
The 50,000-square-foot facility, which is 94% electric, represents a major upgrade from the department's previous location on Central Street. Chief David Jones reported that the transition has been "night and day" from their former facility during the August 12 Select Board meeting at the new building.
"It's really a huge boost to morale to the officers, the men and women that work here," Jones said. "We had a post that we put out recently for lateral transfers. We had six applicants and they all mentioned the building when they applied or why they want to work at this facility."
The chief noted that previous lateral transfer postings had received no responses, highlighting the facility's immediate impact on recruitment efforts.
The building features multiple redundant communication systems, including fiber-optic services and an antenna system designed to maintain communications during any disaster. Owner’s Project Manager Paul Kalous explained that the facility ensures continuous communication "no matter what disaster may occur."
Training capabilities have expanded significantly at the new location. The police department has already hosted several training sessions and has 15 more scheduled for this year, with additional sessions planned beyond that.
"We had FBI leader reach out today about hosting training here," Jones said. "So it's just creating an opportunity for us to host trainings here where we'd normally have to send officers and spend overtime to get them to other training locations."
The facility's operational benefits became evident during a recent law enforcement operation involving approximately 60 police officers from area municipalities and the local emergency response team. The officers held their briefing in the building's training room before executing a search warrant on what Jones described as "a violent and dangerous person."
"Everything was safe and everything ran very smoothly right out of this space here," Jones said. "These are all things that we could not have done in our old space."
The building includes proper locker rooms and equipment storage that officers previously lacked. Jones emphasized the quality of life improvements for staff, describing the facility as providing "the equipment that they need" and "locker rooms that are appropriate to house all their equipment."
The fire department is preparing to move into their portion of the facility within the coming weeks. Deputy Chief David Levenson said the department is waiting for final tweaks to be completed on their side of the building.
"The guys will be happy. It's a lot more space than we had, especially on the upper half of the state floor," Levenson said. "Now, the spare vehicle will be next to the primary vehicle, so we won't have to go to the other station to get it. That'll come in handy and reduce times responding calls."
The facility has already welcomed community members, with Deputy Chief David Petitti reporting that 60 to 70 residents have participated in tours of the new building.
The project came in close to budget, with Kalous reporting that the construction budget of $50,510,650 will be nearly fully utilized. After the Select Board approved $78,220 for remaining police department furniture, approximately $64,010 remains in the project budget to cover final items including surveillance cameras.
The Select Board also approved $71,943 for three LUCAS III chest compression system devices for the fire department. Captain Jeffrey Becker explained that these automated CPR devices provide "an extra set of hands to free up other hands to do other life-saving skills."
The devices, which have an eight-year life expectancy, allow continuous CPR during patient transport and extraction from buildings. "Rather than us trying to manipulate and do CPR while we're driving down a road, it frees up hands so people can be safe on the back of the vehicle as well," Becker said.
In other business, the Select Board approved multiple special one-day alcohol licenses for upcoming community events. These included permits for Vitamin Sea Brewing and Widowmaker Brewing for a summer send-off event at World's End on Aug. 23, with a rain date of Aug. 24.
The board also approved licenses for sunset picnics at Weir River Farm, the River Rock Music Festival, Hingham High School Rowing Association's Oktoberfest at Hingham Harbor, and fall festivals at Weir River Farm.
Additional approvals included a $150,000 amendment to the Harbor Waterfront Resiliency Project contract with Foth Infrastructure and Environment LLC, and a $168,500 agreement with Woodward and Curran for storm sewer system compliance support.
Town Administrator Tom Mayo announced that Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources approved a $205,000 grant for energy efficiency improvements at the central fire station. Since becoming a green community in 2018, Hingham has received four green community grants totaling approximately $533,000.
The Select Board presented certificates of appreciation to volunteers who organized the July 2 Hingham Harbor celebration, which featured food trucks, live concerts, and a drone show that drew thousands of attendees to the harbor.