The lobby of the Salem Police Department headquarters on Tuesday, August 25.(Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
Deputy Chief Steve Bellshaw gave Salem Reporter a tour of the new police headquarters downtown as the project nears completion by the end of this year.
The 104,000 square foot building is four times the size of the current police station, located at City Hall, a concrete building designed in a brutalist architectural style reminiscent of Soviet-era buildings.
Voters in May 2017 approved a city bond to pay for a three-story police building at a cost of $61.8 million, at the corner of Commercial and Division streets, which included costs for design, permitting and furniture as well as construction. But construction costs proved much higher increasing the price tag by an additional $11 million.
READ: ‘Snowballing-out-of-control’: How the price rose by millions on Salem police headquarters
In the new facility, Bellshaw pointed out vents inside the locker rooms that can dry a wet jacket in six hours, blast proof glass windows and the space where solar will be on the roof of the two-story parking garage.
He said a majority of employees will have direct or indirect light in the new building, which has floor to ceiling windows, wide hallways and high ceilings.
-Saphara Harrell
The under-construction Salem Police Department headquarters on Tuesday, August 25.(Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
A construction worker works on the roof of the parking garage at the under-construction Salem Police Department headquarters on Tuesday, August 25. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
Steve Bellshaw, deputy chief of Salem Police, stands in the armory of the under-construction Salem Police Department headquarters on Tuesday, August 25.(Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
Construction workers work on the parking structure at the under-construction Salem Police Department headquarters on Tuesday, August 25.(Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
Steve Bellshaw, deputy chief of Salem Police, opens up a duty bag locker at the under-construction Salem Police Department headquarters on Tuesday, August 25.(Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
A bicycle storage room at the under-construction Salem Police Department headquarters on Tuesday, August 25.(Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
Construction workers work in the women’s locker room at the under-construction Salem Police Department headquarters on Tuesday, August 25.(Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
Moveable shelves in the evidence room at the under-construction Salem Police Department headquarters on Tuesday, August 25.(Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
Steve Bellshaw, deputy chief of Salem Police, opens the door to a freezer in the evidence room of the under-construction Salem Police Department headquarters on Tuesday, August 25.(Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
Kennels for K-9 dogs at the under-construction Salem Police Department headquarters on Tuesday, August 25.(Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
A door to a holding cell at the under-construction Salem Police Department headquarters on Tuesday, August 25.(Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
The Oregon State Capitol can be seen from the chief’s office at the under-construction Salem Police Department headquarters on Tuesday, August 25.(Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
The under-construction Salem Police Department headquarters on Tuesday, August 25.(Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
The under-construction Salem Police Department headquarters on Tuesday, August 25.(Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
The under-construction gym at the new Salem Police Department headquarters on Tuesday, August 25.(Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
The under-construction Salem Police Department headquarters on Tuesday, August 25.(Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
A crime lab facility at the under-construction Salem Police Department headquarters on Tuesday, August 25.(Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
Solar panels will be installed on the roof of the parking garage at the under-construction Salem Police Department headquarters on Tuesday, August 25.(Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
The under-construction Salem Police Department headquarters on Tuesday, August 25.(Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
A construction worker walks through the parking garage at the under-construction Salem Police Department headquarters on Tuesday, August 25.(Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
A terrace outside of the breakroom at the under-construction Salem Police Department headquarters on Tuesday, August 25.(Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
Outlets line the walls in a storage room as potential infrastructure to support the future use of body cameras at the under-construction Salem Police Department headquarters on Tuesday, August 25.(Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
