'Give Thanks': Campaign Renews Push for New Police Station

A grassroots effort is tying the Thanksgiving holiday to a call to give thanks to Newtown police. They're seeking to build a new police station to replace the current headquarters at 3 Main St. — a move supporters say is long-deserved.

The Newtown Police Building Fund was established out of what supporters see as a dire need for new facilities at the 10,000-square-foot site. (A new police facility would cost $18 million, according to supporters.) For a spokesperson, they've chosen Redding Police Chief and Newtown resident Doug Fuchs.

“Give to those who have given to us. That’s the simple, powerful idea of this campaign,” said Fuchs. “We want people everywhere to have a chance to contribute to the healing and rebuilding of what was shattered last December. Providing a new police station for the Newtown Police is a great and fitting way for people everywhere to get involved, and it’s a goal we can definitely accomplish as we work together with the same unity and strength that have carried us through these past hard months."

Fuchs has aided the department in the past — after the Dec. 14 shooting, he helped organize an effort to give Newtown police the Christmas holiday off by putting volunteers from other towns on the roads and at headquarters. Organizers say they're hoping to draw national attention to this effort through the support of "local and state political leaders, community service groups, additional Newtown residents, and a growing list of commercial and corporate participants are being recruited."

While Newtown police representatives declined comment for the story, at least one official on the town's police commission has signaled his endorsement.

"Absolutely we support it," said Newtown Police Commission head Paul Mangiafico. "I completely endorse what they're doing and the reasons for what they're doing. I see it as a terrific initiative to secure funds to build the facility."

Mangiafico said he's been in communication with First Selectman Pat Llodra and supporters of the building campaign since several months ago, and hopes to bring an advocate to speak to the commission in the near future. He called Fuchs "a professional who speaks with great authority," and commended his work in leading the effort.

"Any rational person would agree the police station is in need of being updated," he said. "It's completely inadequate for the number of officers we have and the requirements we have. It should be anywhere from three to four times larger than it currently is. This goes back many years -- while we have money for the current CIP, it's been in there for many years. Other needs surface, and before you know it it gets yanked out. Another year goes by, and you're looking at many years where nothing is done."

Fifteen years ago, the town conducted a study of the station — an old tractor barn converted in 1980 — and found it needed to be expanded by 328%. The department shares its space directly with the town's Emergency Communications Center, and the building is also home to Newtown Parks and Recreation offices and Newtown Social Services.

Llodra mentioned the crowded state of the building earlier this week when announcing a $15 million contribution from GE for a new community center.

"We have an absolute logjam in the use of Town Hall South right now," she said. "Until we find a way to break that log jam, we're totally stopped. The facility is not adequate, and we've known that ... In order to address the needs of police, we had to address needs of Parks and Recreation, social services and dispatch."

The Newtown Police Building Fund is accepting contributions through their website.