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Charlotte Amalie
Thursday, March 28, 2024
HomeNewsArchivesLIBURD DECRIES CONDITIONS AT POLICE STATIONS

LIBURD DECRIES CONDITIONS AT POLICE STATIONS

Sen. Almando "Rocky" Liburd wants the governor to do something about the shabby conditions at police stations in the territory.
In a letter to Gov. Charles W. Turnbull Monday, Liburd said "At a growing number of police stations, law enforcement personnel have decided that the conditions of the facilities are so intolerable that they have set up their operations on the grounds outside the stations."
Ongoing problems at Zone A Command resulted in personnel walking out of the facility on March 24. At issue was the continued delay in relocating police operations from the run-down building to the newly refurbished Alexander A. Farrelly Criminal Justice Complex.
Liburd told Turnbull, "Although our fiscal restraints are undeniably severe, we as a government and as a people must be able to draw a clear line about what we will and will not tolerate in our community. If we allow our police force to exist in such obviously desperate conditions, it sends a message to residents and tourist alike that we cannot provide for their safety."
An incident last week in which a police officer physically attacked a resident in a confrontation over a traffic infraction has been blamed in some quarters on stress caused by the working conditions of police officers.
Broken plumbing, a leaking roof, rodent infestation, flooding, exposed electrical wires and impure air are among the problems that have plagued Zone A Command on Norre Gade for years.
The situation "also sends a message to the criminal element that they have increased freedom to operate," Liburd wrote. He said the result will be a decline in business and social activity and added that he would support any reappropriation of funds to resolve the crisis.
Turnbull has agreed to meet with officers at Zone A at 9 a.m. Wednesday.

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