Outside firm to help Chandler police set goals

Chandler has hired a consultant to help it prepare for the future needs of the Police Department.

“We have to make sure that our growth here in the department is keeping up with the growth of the city,” Chandler police Detective Seth Tyler said. “The department doesn’t want to be left behind, so to speak, so we can continue providing the service that we’re providing now.”

The Chandler City Council on Sept. 26 approved the $264,000 contract with McClaren, Wilson and Lawrie Inc. to create the master plan.

The 15-year plan will focus on facilities, with an eye on the city’s build-out.

McClaren, Wilson and Lawrie is a Phoenix-based architectural and planning firm that specializes in public-safety and other governmental projects, according to the firm’s website.

The company will look at all aspects of the Police Department’s existing facilities, in- cluding electrical, mechanical, communications, safety and parking to create a needs assessment. That information will be used to create an operational and staffing plan and a facilities strategic plan, according to documents provided to the City Council.

The firm will look at staffing levels and operations in part to determine the most efficient use of space, Chandler Assistant City Manager Pat McDermott said. The study should also give Chandler information about upcoming maintenance needs, he said.

It is important for the city to get an outside assessment, he said.

“We need a plan to make sure we’re moving down the right track,” McDermott said.

The bulk of the cost of this study — about $244,000 — will be paid for with forfeiture funds.

The contract splits up the work into three phases, allowing the city to opt out after each phase if needed, McDermott said.

It is expected to take about seven months to complete the study, according to council documents.

The Police Department headquarters was built about 15 years ago and the two substations were built within the past decade. The Desert Breeze Police Substation opened in 2006 near McClintock Drive and Chandler Boulevard. The Chandler Heights substation, which is near Chandler Heights and Lindsay roads, opened in 2008.

The Police Department includes about 320 sworn officers working 17 beats, Tyler said. That’s about three more beats than the department had a decade ago, he said.

This facilities study will supplement the Police Department’s strategic plan, which covers 2011-16. One of the three main goals of that plan is to develop the department’s infrastructure and create a plan for the department’s physical needs.

“It should be our last facility plan,” McDermott said.

The city is expected to be at 95 percent of its anticipated build-out population by 2020.