Panel OKs Funding for Police Facilities

An influential City Council panel on Monday unanimously approved the allocation of $140,000 in police facilities bond money to add three temporary trailers to the cramped West Valley police station.

But City Councilwoman Laura Chick, who chairs the Public Safety Committee, was irked that the allocation, which was approved by the Police Commission in January, took seven months to get to committee.

“I’m very unhappy at how long it has taken us,” said Chick, who represents parts of the West Valley.

Chick also expressed her displeasure that “we are begging, borrowing and stealing the $140,000,” even though the West Valley station was promised “renovations costing millions of dollars.”

The $176-million bond for the improvement of police facilities, Proposition 2, passed in 1989.

Originally, about $53 million was to be earmarked for the Valley to replace the decrepit North Hollywood Division station, to build a sixth Valley police station near Van Nuys Airport (an idea later abandoned) and to make general repairs to other Valley divisions, including West Valley.

If approved by City Council, the $140,000 will cover the cost of designing, constructing and installing three temporary trailers--two 12-by-60 feet and one 12-by-40 feet--to house a police locker room, workout room and officers from the vice, gang and narcotics details. The money will not cover furniture.

Sgt. William Dolan of the Police Department’s facilities and construction group estimated that it will be nine months before the trailers are installed.