By Kyle Denson
The 60-year-old Suffolk County Police headquarters in Yaphank needs significant updates, the Suffolk County Public Safety Committee said Sept. 26, as members consider plans for a revamp.
Project Finance Advisory Ltd. (PFAL) is an independent financial advisory firm that assists clients in financial decisions regarding engineering and construction. Victoria Taylor, the president of PFAL, and Caroline Judy, the senior consultant of the company, presented their analysis of the building to the Public Safety Committee’s Legislative Council on Sept. 26. Their goal is to decide if the headquarters should be renovated or rebuilt.
Legislator Steven J. Flotteron, chairman of the Suffolk County Public Safety Committee and a Republican from Brightwaters, said the building’s current state requires repairs far beyond the “band-aids” that have been used for temporary fixes to the facility.
“It was never designed to be a police headquarters,” Flotteron said. “It was built way out in Yaphank originally because they thought the other five towns would become part of the police district, which never happened. The population has grown since then.”
The headquarters also faces a space issue. The building currently has 133,000 gross square feet, with 575 employees. The space does not meet the needs projected for the end of 2024 or 2044, when it is estimated to require an increase to 238,789 GSF for over 800 employees, according to Judy.
PFAL projected that multiple bureaus and divisions will grow faster than others in the county, including major crimes and police technology. Numerous factors are set to increase the necessity of these bureaus in the department headquarters, including population growth, mental health and crises of drug overdoses.
Judy and Taylor presented the committee with three potential options. The first would be to repair the facility. The process would occur over five years, working with a specific list of what urgently needs to be replaced.
“It’s basically the stuff that you can see that needs to be repaired,” Taylor said. “It would basically cover mechanical, electrical — the kinds of things that you would replace in your own home if it was failing.”
The second would entail a full remodel within the current facility structure over five years. Remodeling could include an addition to the existing property to accommodate the projected space needs, Taylor said.
The final option would require new construction of a facility that would be larger and advanced enough to accommodate the police department and multiple bureaus. The three options evoked commentary and questioning from Legislator Steve Englebright, a Democrat who represents the 5th District.
“On this scale, this building has significance as an example of what the county stands for in terms of sustainability,” Englebright said. “Have you considered the importance of setting a positive example of sustainable building practices and materials in the construction of this new facility?”
Judy assured the legislator that sustainable practices would be a large component of the process of constructing the new building.
“Implementing sustainability objectives isn’t restricted only to new facilities, Judy said. “One can do that in renovation as well.”
PFAL has been working with the Suffolk County Police Department to ensure its needs are met when a decision is made on the headquarters. The result is hoped to be a single location that would house the bureaus that must work together, Judy said.
The final analysis of the headquarters is due in November, when a full presentation will be made and ruling of the findings will be decided on by the Public Safety Committee.
“Over the next several months, as Tori mentioned, we’ll be performing additional benchmarks, doing the cost modeling and preparing a draft and final report,” Judy said.
