Dear Tigard Community,
If you’ve lived in Tigard for any length of time you’ve heard us talk about the critical need for a new facility for our first responders. In fact, we were talking about the need when I first joined Tigard Police as a new officer. That was in 2001.
The truth is, we can’t wait any longer.
I’m encouraged that a safe, modern building for our police and public works teams will be on the ballot in May, and I’d like to share with you some of the biggest reasons I hope you’ll support this project.
First, this building will allow us to better serve you and your family, through emergencies and disasters, but also in our day-to-day work, for decades to come.
For instance, this building would allow us to:
- Construct an Emergency Operations Center that would withstand a major natural disaster or earthquake, allowing your first responders to get out into the community to help you when you need it the most.
- Keep your police officers on-site for required training and ready to respond to calls, rather than having to send them as far away as McMinnville to complete these training hours.
- Better protect crime victims, through trauma-informed interview rooms and enough space to securely store all our criminal evidence in-house, rather than renting off-site space to store evidence that is out of our control.
- Provide enough locker space, particularly for women, so we can continue to recruit and retain high-quality police officers.
- Better protect expensive equipment like sewer and stormwater pipe cleaning trucks from the weather, extending their lifespan.
- Make our work more efficient by consolidating teams that are currently working out of nine fragmented sites into one cohesive building, with some cost savings for shared spaces.
- Grow with Tigard for decades to come, by thoughtfully planning for our long-term needs.
- Move police officers out of a modular building that was installed in 1992 as a ‘temporary structure’ and has exceeded its recommended lifespan.
- Address a range of issues we face in our current facilities, from security concerns to roof leaks, and much more.
If you’ve toured our building, you’ve seen firsthand that we are doing the best we can with the facility we do have, which was constructed in 1986 as part of Tigard’s Civic Center (now City Hall). Back then, about 18,000 people called Tigard home. Today, that number has more than tripled and the need for our services will only continue to grow.
Supporting this project will cost the average Tigard homeowner an additional $9 per month. I think that is an excellent investment in the future of public safety services in this city. However, I also want you to know that I understand there are very valid reasons why someone may vote no. I won’t pretend to know your personal finances or family priorities, but I do ask that you at least be curious. Learn more by visiting www.tigard-or.gov/BuildingaBetterTigard, take a tour of our current facilities (email AskTigardPolice@tigard-or.gov to schedule) or watch a virtual tour of our department by searching “Tigard Police tour” on our YouTube channel (@TigardPolice). You can also look at the modern public safety facilities in our neighboring jurisdictions (Beaverton, Tualatin, Sherwood, Lake Oswego, West Linn). Please reach out to me personally if you have any questions.
On behalf of the men and women of the Tigard Police Department, it is an honor to serve you.
We truly appreciate your trust and support.
Sincerely,
Chief Jamey McDonald
