Fort Oglethorpe OKS new evidence lockers for police
The Fort Oglethorpe Police Department will soon upgrade its facilities by adding new evidence lockers to the fold.
During the Nov. 12 City Council meeting, Police Chief Mike Helton presented recent bids for the project and discussed the department’s need for an upgraded evidence storing system.
“The police department would like to make a recommendation to purchase and improve our new evidence locker system,” Helton said. “We’ve had the same one (system) in place since they moved into the building. Frankly, it doesn’t meet official locker standards at all.”
Helton said how his officers handle and store evidence is one of the department’s “12 Critical Tasks,” which focuses on maintaining the integrity of property and evidence, and having the proper storage arrangements.
Helton added that the new lockers will be more durable than the current ones, and that they will last for decades.
“These lockers are not the type of lockers that you would think of in a gymnasium or school setting,” Helton explained. These are high-quality lockers that cannot be easily penetrated. They’ll also be usable; we’re going to install them in the hallway right now, but when we get the chance to remodel an evidence entry way where we can package evidence, we can cross-use them.
Helton said the goal is to one day mount the lockers inside walls where evidence technicians can have protective access from the other side of the wall.
“This is for current use and the future,” Helton said. “They’ll last 40-50 years. They’re long-term pieces of metal, and they’re strong.”
The Council unanimously approved the purchase for a little under $8,000.
“We took three bids, and Fastco Incorporated was the low quote,” Helton said. “It’s also the best product of what we found out there as well, so that came in good for us. That amount is $7,933, and we do have it within out budget.”