Anonymous
Source: City of Santa Barbara
Much has happened over this past year with the development of the new Police Station since the City Council selected the Cota Commuter Parking Lot as the preferred site alternative for environmental review.
As part of the preliminary environmental review the property was thoroughly studied and 30% drawings for the Police Station were developed.
The unveiling of these conceptual plans will be on November 16 at the Architectural Board of Review meeting. The public is welcome to participate virtually.
Learn more about the upcoming meeting here.
There were much fewer law breakers (and a lot less physical violence) among the open carry group than the rioters / anarchists. More than either, I’m worried about the hypocritical politicians that turned the other cheek to the rioting because they were more focused on their own reelections rather than doing what’s best for their constituents.
VOR – how many people were killed by “rioters?” Also, remember, it’s been proven time and again that many of the violent riots were started by members of far-right groups trying to instigate violence.
PIT – I have no idea if they have money for it. I thought they did and assume it comes from our taxes. I’m happy to have my tax $$ go to something like this. Vote for an increase? Maybe, but not if it’s solely to fund this. I’m happy to pay taxes so the schools, infrastructure, cops, first responders, etc have what they need. It’s part of living in a civilized country.
@711 THANK YOU!
Basicinfo- Anarchists rioting? Yeah we got all sorts of that down on Figueroa…
Pit, agreed….big time.
Sac~! agreed!
Pit @1240- they do NOT have the funds any longer. this is more tax dollars being squandered. The entire thing has been shelved as of April, so I really question this whole post. I have friends in the department, i get my news…somewhat first hand 😉
would be great if we had the option to choose where OUR tax dollars go…
Judging from the rendering, this new facility appears to be about three times the size of the current police station on Figueroa. I am not aware of any massive increase in crime that would justify such an expansion. If the jail project is anything to go by, the eventual cost will far exceed the original estimates. It seems like a poor decision to build such a facility when revenues are collapsing because of COVID restrictions. I understand that the current facility is out of date, but perhaps it could be retrofitted for earthquakes, or maybe a more modest structure could be built somewhere on Calle Real near the prison and social services.
Funding?
It’s pretty annoying that people don’t understand what defunding the police actually means. “Stop killing minorities and send out social workers for mental health responses and strip police unions from protecting bad cops and charge officers who break the rules” is just too darn long.
The “Defund the Police” movement has to do a better job of making it clear what they’re really asking for then, doesn’t it? What you’re saying is a completely different goal. And having anarchists rioting doesn’t help your cause either.
Sac, are you saying they have the money to move ahead with this after all of the losses in the last year? Unless it is all grant money from the State, something has got to give. Unless you are voting for a tax increase?
Extremists make a big deal out of a few hundred “anarchists” clad in black. I’m way more worried about heavily armed open carry militias in every state.
VOR, that is patently untrue. There you go again, NOT being an actual voice of reason.
PITMIX, 100%. Me too.
@Bigugly, not sure which post you’re replying to but nothing I have written on this page could be described as even close to “patently untrue”. Unless you’re entire basis for truth comes from MSNBC and CNN then I can see what you think what I posted was patently untrue. That doesn’t make your statement true though, nor mine untrue.
Wow Big, a “roomy deluxe new mansion to loaf around in”. So out of touch. Sacjon is right, if there is no one to enforce the laws how long do you expect them to be followed?
SACJON – You write,” it’s been proven time and again” violent riots started by far-right groups,. I’m certain you could direct me to the evidence that substantiates your claim.
PITMIX – You only need worry if you act illegally. Do you know the definition of an anarchist? Check the dictionary.
The vast majority of us in the city/county of Santa Barbara look forward to the new police station, and want nothing to do with the “Defund the Cops” crowd. For a looksie at what happens when you actually defund the police, look no further than this week’s news: “Minneapolis is scrambling to draft in cops from outside the city’s force to help fight a wave of violent crime just months after it began moves to defund its police. The city is pleading for reinforcements from the sheriff’s office and the transit authority to help respond to a surge in violent 911 calls.” Notice that they are not calling for social workers to help quell the raging crime there. Thank goodness that I live in SB, as I’ve seen crime and its effects first-hand in Chicago, Orlando, Seattle, Portland, Oakland, Baltimore, and plenty of other places. Fewer cops with less funding is not what we need, and you don’t send social workers to 911 calls.
“Defund” is a poor word choice. Normally defund means stop giving money. Maybe it would be better for the movement to come up with a better slogan— “refund,” or some pithy phrase that actually explains what is meant.
Uh, you guys know that the police force is a relatively recent invention, right? 1st one in Boston in 1838. They initially replaced the private security that was hired to protect goods and transport. I think they were also very useful in strikebreaking once people tried to unionize. I hope they are designing this building for the new hybrid police force where we only have 50% sworn officers to respond to the 25% of calls involving weapons and violence, and 50% community service officers and social workers responding to everything else. Could save a ton on money because police salaries and pensions will eventually break our bank.
Baby, this is why there’s a problem. “At last check, 175 police officers have taken disability leave, for both physical and mental health reasons, since civil unrest in May.” Police officers abandoning their jobs, in part because they can no longer murder black civilians without any accountability and they don’t feel “supported”. So if our choice is to keep the status quo or lose the current police force, then we better figure out what we are going to do when the current police force (most of whom support Trump based their union endorsements) disintegrates.
You still have to pay the community service officers and social workers.
Everyone complains about the police until they need one.
VOR, about 2/3s of what a sworn police officer gets, and the pensions are usually more like regular city employees than the police. Police and fire pensions comprise about 2/3rds of the pension obligation we have while they are less than 1/3 of the staff, last time I checked. Unsustainable.
PITMIX – No you are absolutely wrong. Police forces are not “recent inventions,” unless you think the Ancient Egypt, the Greeks and the Roman Empire were recent. Every large society has had some people who’s job it was to enforce that society’s laws.
Sac, love to google assertions by other posters and find out that they are misguided. Roman empire “police” were more like an army and fought battles. Ancient Greece police generally used mediation to enforce community laws, and also fought fires and collected garbage. So my assertion, that a separate police force that primarily protected property and the ruling elite, is a fairly recent invention, appears to be correct. Bobbies in England showed up in 1829 in conjunction with the industrial revolution.
PITMIX – again, WRONG. What’s your deal? You said the “police force is a relatively recent invention.” Not true. Your “assertion” is not what you said. You must have a great recipe for crow, because you sure eat a lot of it!