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Police service to spend $235K in ’23 on infrastructure upgrades

The MJPS presented its 2023-27 capital budget during the Oct. 19 Board of Police Commissioners meeting.
Moose Jaw police 6
Moose Jaw Police Service. Photo by Jason G. Antonio

Reconfiguring the detention area to improve line of sight and better monitor prisoners is one of several capital projects the Moose Jaw Police Service (MJPS) plans to pursue in 2023.

The police service has budgeted $235,000 in capital expenditures for next year, which includes base funding of $75,000 and $160,000 in project spending. 

These projects include $30,000 for the ongoing elevator replacement initiative, $10,000 to upgrade the garage door and related mechanisms, $40,000 to reconfigure the detention area, $80,000 for exterior building repairs and $75,000 as a contingency fund for unanticipated demands.

The MJPS presented its 2023-27 capital budget during the Oct. 19 Board of Police Commissioners meeting. Members voted unanimously to accept the document, which will likely go to city council’s November budget meeting for approval.

This budget continues with the formula that the police board adopted in 2019, the report said. The police service’s capital budget base funding will increase by $2,500 each year to support known and unanticipated infrastructure demands. 

Therefore, base funding will be $77,500 in 2024, $80,000 in 2025, $82,500 in 2026 and $85,000 in 2027. Including this year’s base money, the total capital budget base funding the police service will receive during the next five years is $560,000. This amount does not include any additional spending projects the organization plans to pursue. 

The building’s elevator is at the end of its life and parts have become almost unavailable, said Chief Rick Bourassa. The deputy chief has been salvaging parts from elsewhere to keep the lift operational, but the organization will need to replace it soon.

Furthermore, the garage door to the underground parking is from 1985 and continues to break, while the police service has spent plenty of money to keep it working, he continued. It’s outdated and no longer serviceable. 

The MJPS needs to reconfigure its detention area because of some incidents that have occurred and because of an audit it experienced through the Saskatchewan Police Commission, added Bourassa. 

Deputy Chief Rick Johns explained that the renovations would include adjusting lines of sight so police can better monitor prisoners in the booking area and phone room. 

“It’s vitally important that we track their movements during that booking process to ensure that they’re not bringing in any contraband or any other items through the searching process … ,” he said. 

This recommendation came from some staff sergeants who act as watch commanders in the detention area, Johns added. These changes should ensure the safety of staff and prisoners.

The next Board of Police Commissioners meeting is Thursday, Nov. 10. 

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