San Fernando Facility : Modern Police Station Dedicated to Late Chief

San Fernando city officials dedicated a new $2.9-million police station Thursday to the memory of Police Chief Charles E. Sherwood, whose dream was to see a modern police station built for his department.

“His cherished dream was that his city would have a proper building to house its police department,” U.S. District Judge Ronald S.W. Lew told a crowd of about 300 people. “He used to show me sketches. It was forever on his mind.”

Sherwood, who molded a small-town police department into a respected professional force, died of complications of leukemia three years ago after 30 years in the department, beginning as a foot patrolman.

Mission-Style Building

A bronze plaque at the entrance to the station, unveiled by Sherwood’s widow, Nina, reads that the building is “proudly dedicated to the gallant hands who pointed the way and did their duties faithfully.”

The opening of the mission-style building, which has a tile roof and palm trees along the front sidewalk, came after more than three years of political haggling.

In 1985, then-Councilwoman Carmillis Noltemeyer contended that remodeling the old police station had not been thoroughly studied. She opposed purchasing land for a new station.

She argued that San Fernando would lose a crucial piece of central city land if it sold the site of the old station.

Although the council overruled her protests, the debate continued into 1986 when Noltemeyer initiated a successful city referendum that prohibits selling or leasing the old police station land without voter approval.

In his address Thursday, Mayor Roy Richardson alluded to the controversy. “Some dissension on the council, primarily by one councilperson, delayed the facility for two years . . . But today, after all the struggle, the final result is here,” he said.

The 18,000-square-foot building is double the size of the 30-year-old station, which Police Chief Dominick J. Rivetti said had become obsolete and cramped, with makeshift facilities for female officers.

“Employees were working in jail cells,” Rivetti said. “One room was a combination lunchroom, kitchen and men’s locker room.”

In the new building, the force’s 32 officers will have spacious lockers, a photography lab and more sophisticated alarms in the new jail facilities. Bulletproofed windows will protect the front desk and a state-of-the-art radio room is being installed.

Resembles Hotel Lobby

With gray carpet, mauve walls and large potted plants, the public areas of the new building resemble a hotel lobby.

“This doesn’t look much like a police station,” one woman told Lt. Dan Peavy.

“We don’t want people to feel like they are inside a jail or something,” he said, laughing.

The building was financed by city redevelopment funds.

The department will move into the building at 910 1st St. on Wednesday. The old police station, a block away on MacNeil Street, will be used for city offices, officials said.