Time to answer call for police station

We don't yet know how much it will cost. We don't know where it will be. How big it will be.

But we do believe this: It's time for the city of Cape Girardeau to upgrade its police station.

Actually, it's well past time. The crowding situation at the police station has been documented in the Southeast Missourian since at least 2002. Even then, officers had been dealing with tight quarters for years.

More than a decade later, our policemen still are waiting for the city to answer the call for an upgrade.

The station, built in 1975, isn't just outdated. It's crowded. It leaks. The jail and interview rooms are not as secure as they need to be. Evidence is being packed in to tight places. Closets have been transformed into offices. In some cases, up to six officers have to share one computer. A modular unit has been parked in the parking lot for 20 officers to work.

A strong argument can be made that the police station should have been given a higher priority over the years when other tax initiatives were passed. But there's no argument our officers should have a better workplace.

The city council is studying the issue.

It hired a firm to do a space study. The council is beginning to delve into options. The firm came up with three options; they are all expensive, ranging from $13 million and $15 million, but some leaders believe there may be more options worth considering.

The city council, now that it seems determined to upgrade the headquarters, appears to be doing due diligence. Many, many aspects of such a project need to be determined, whether it be to build new, renovate and expand the current facility, buy and upgrade the old federal building or go with a different plan. How much space is needed to handle future growth? How will taxpayers be asked to fund it?

Even though a police station upgrade is long overdue, it seems prudent the city takes its time in the planning and education phases of the project. In 1975, the city did not build a station that was equipped to handle growth. The heating and air-conditioning never worked properly. And it was built smaller than the actual design.

This time, let's do it the right way. Early indications are the council is trying to do just that.