Medley Police Facility Study

The engagement

What we did

Medley had constructed a 44,000 square foot, four-story administrative facility, while its police department remained in an older building originally built as a television studio. The existing layout did not lend itself to efficient use as a law enforcement facility, with evidence functions distributed across four separate locations within the building and public circulation and access poorly defined. The town was subsequently approached by a private entity with a plan to redevelop the police parcel, which brought the question of the department’s long-term home to a decision point. The Center for Public Safety was retained to conduct a space needs study covering current and future requirements, and to evaluate a specific question: whether the police department could be accommodated within the existing administrative facility without a loss of space efficiency or a reduction in the level of service provided to the public. The engagement gave the town a quantified basis for weighing a redevelopment opportunity against its operational obligations, rather than allowing the real estate transaction to drive the public safety outcome.