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 in downtown Charlotte Amalie resulted in personnel walking out of the facility on March 24. At issue was the continued delay in relocating police operations from the rundown 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 tourists 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 local 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 "sends a message to the criminal element that they have increased freedom to operate," Liburd wrote. The result, he said, will be a decline in business and social activity. He vowed to support any reappropriation of funds to resolve the crisis.
Turnbull has agreed to meet with police officers at Zone A at 9 a.m. Wednesday.
