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Wilton police department BUILDING

The Wilton Police Department headquarters is a cinder block building that was built in 1974 for a 25 person, all male police force. Today it serves 48 employees (44 officers and 4 civilian staff), including 6 women.

This building that operates 24/7, 365 days a year has had minimal changes made to it during the past 44 years although renovating and expanding it has been a topic of discussion for over 20 years.

​The aged facility is extremely overcrowded, inefficient, non-compliant with multiple state and federal regulations and its maintenance and repair costs have escalated for years. The inadequate space for people, technology, equipment and evidence affects the WPD's day to day operations. The outdated, inadequate infrastructure affects safety, comfort and expenses.
​​Inside the
​WPD HQ:

Schedule a tour of the WPD

Video tour by
​Good Morning Wilton
​
Wilton Police Department
​ PowerPoint Tour
wpd_powerpoint_tour.pptx
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​​​For Additional
​Information:

2012 Wilton Police Department
​Facilities Report

Examples of deficiencies are
illustrated in
Photos
​
Deficiencies of the WPD HQ include but are not limited to:
Noncompliance with multiple state and federal requirements
The building...
  • does not accommodate interviewing multiple suspects at a time
  • does not accommodate the separation of non-criminal and criminal areas
  • does not accommodate processing and detaining juveniles away from adults by both sight and sound
  • does not have fire sprinklers or smoke alarms
  • does not have an elevator, prohibiting disabled members of the public and temporarily disabled employees from accessing one floor of the two story building—the floor that includes full lavatories, locker rooms, the break room and the briefing room/meeting room/training room/Emergency Operations Center
  • does not have a functioning indoor shooting range due to noncompliance with OSHA requirements. The range also fails to meet distance requirements for officer certification.
Inadequate, mostly original infrastructure
  • Dangerous electrical issues have threatened building safety as well as police operations for several years. The system is insufficient for handling today’s technology, has overloaded electrical outlets throughout the building and inadequate space and temperature control for IT equipment.
  • The HVAC system is inefficient and inconsistent, breaking down a minimum of twice a year and can take days to repair. One part of the building is hot when another part is cold. Makeshift vent covers attempt to help control the temperature in some rooms while portable heaters are needed in others. The problem is compounded by the original windows that let in air during cold weather.
  • The fire protection system consists of heat sensors only. 
Severe overcrowding
  • Operations affected:
    • Non-criminal fingerprinting services share area where criminals are booked and detained.
    • There is inadequate space for detectives' equipment and interviews.
    • The interview room doubles as an IT/computer forensic investigation area, requiring equipment and furniture to be moved in and out frequently.
    • The Emergency Operations Center also serves as the briefing room, meeting room and training room, requiring frequent movement and relocation of furniture and equipment.
    • Lack of space in the Evidence Room necessitated the purchase of an outdoor trailer for evidence  storage, leaving its contents in unregulated temperatures. 
    • Lack of space in the building necessitates that the garage be used for storage, eliminating routine availability for vehicles.
    • Senior officers double up in offices intended for one person.
    • A workstation for one Patrol Officer is located in the break room.
  • Functional space lost:
    • The interview room has been converted to an office for 2 Lieutenants.
    • A portion of the briefing room/ meeting room/ training room/ Emergency Operations Center has been used to add one cubicle that is shared by 5 Sergeants.
    • A portion of the briefing room/ meeting room/ training room/ Emergency Operations Center has been used to add one workstation that is shared by 30 officers
    • The Dispatch Center, originally designed for 1 Dispatcher, was reduced in size several years ago to provide space for what is now the Records Room. Today up to 5 people at a time could be manning Dispatch.
    • A storage room has been converted to an office for 2 School Resource Officers.
    • A storage room has been converted to a women’s locker room.
    • A storage closet has been converted to a server room.
    • A storage closet doubles as an IT closet.
  • Hallways and stairway nooks are used for storage and work areas.
Inadequate firearms training facility & storage
  • The indoor shooting range does not meet OSHA standards and the repairs necessary for compliance do not make economic sense.
  • The shooting range's length does not meet distance requirements for officer certification.
  • Firearms storage is inadequate.
Inadequate lavatories and locker rooms
  • There are no public lavatories.
  • Parts are no longer available for sinks and toilets in holding cells.
  • There are only two men’s toilets-- inadequate for as many as 20 men on a shift.
  • Locker rooms have limited ventilation and no windows.
  • Lockers installed in 1974 are still in use, supplemented with additional ones over the years.
  • Lockers are too small to accommodate all of each officer’s equipment and uniforms.