Space crunch handcuffs police officers

By Jennifer Smith - Vernon Morning Star Published: July 15, 2008

It’s almost a crime how RCMP officers are being forced to work. Due to cramped quarters, the Vernon detachment is feeling the strain for space. There may be 19,000 square-feet in the downtown building next to city hall, but almost every inch is occupied by staff, equipment, evidence, storage items and more. “This building was designed 30 years ago for 37, now we have 100,” said RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk. “We need a great deal more space just for proper working conditions.” As one example of the space constraints, at one time, Molendyk used to enjoy his own office. Now he shares a space with approximately 10 other individuals, some of them divided by temporary cubicle walls. His new ‘office’ is also home to increased foot traffic from officers who must navigate past the narrow hallway lined with filing cabinets and paperwork trays and right through his office to the equipment room.Then he gets to hear some of the frustrations from officers searching for equipment between shelves of duty bags that spill onto the floor.

Inspector Steve McVarnock says it’s almost a daily ritual for officers to enter the cluttered room in search of something and have no luck finding it. “Right now we show up for a shift and members are looking for this, can’t find it. Looking for that, can’t find it,” said McVarnock, adding that the space is an embarrassment to the detachment. “It’s very frustrating.” At the other end of the detachment, office space has been compromised for evidence rooms and storage space is maxed out in the garage where bicycles fight for a parking spot between ceiling-high shelves and the golf-cart-like vehicle officers use in downtown alleys.

Thankfully, some of the strains on the Vernon/North Okanagan detachment will be relieved soon. An additional 3,000 square feet is being acquired in the basement of the neighbouring city hall office. That move will see the traffic section and other units (a total of 20 officers) transfer in late August or September. “That will give us the short-term relief,” said McVarnock. “Probably for a couple of years.” With those units moving, the department will be given a bit more breathing room for not only existing staff such as Molendyk, but also any additional staff that are added. It will also allow the detachment to re-organize its space, including the equipment room, which will be de-cluttered and arranged so officers can use a bar code system for each item taken out and brought back. But the long-term demands for space have yet to be addressed. Vernon council is looking at its options for accommodating the RCMP, although some councillors say the best option is to move them to a new building outside of the city’s core. That isn’t the ideal situation for the RCMP though.

“I’m a big believer in keeping the office close to the downtown core because it’s sort of the hub,” said McVarnock. A new building would be the most ideal option, since expansion is limited at the current office. But for now, RCMP must continue to maximize the existing space the best way possible since any new space, if approved, wouldn’t come to fruition for some time. “These things will probably take anywhere from five to 10 years,” said McVarnock. “I could be gone by then.”