Proposition A
Public Safety Facility
Proposition A- Public Safety Facility
$63,928,980
72,806 square feet to house Police, Fire Administration, Detention Center, and Municipal Court.
STATUS:
The City Manager’s Office is seeking a qualified design firm thru a Request For Qualifications (RFQ) process to design not only the public safety and animal shelter facilities but also a City campus to house nearly all City functions on the site of Herfurth Park downtown. A Council work session was held in late March for three RFQ candidates to present their project methodology and approach and to exhibit their concept of the City campus to the Council for consideration.
Ensure a Safe Community
Strategic Priority
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Rowlett consistently ranks among the Safehome.org Safest Cities in Texas
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2018 - National Council for Home And Security Safest Cities in Texas
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2016 – ValuePenguin’s #3 Safest Place in Texas
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American Heart Association Silver Level Award from Mission Life-Line - Rowlett Fire Rescue.
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Rowlett Fire and Police Departments maintain an exemplary 5–6-minute Response Time.
Current Police,
Municipal Court &Detention Center:
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Located at 4401 Rowlett Road.
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24,300 square feet.
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Built in 1984 as office building, purchased by the City in 1994.
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In 1994, there were 39 sworn officers.
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Today, there are 105 sworn officers and 37 civilian employees.
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One shower for each gender.
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Locker space has exceeded capacity.
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Useable workspace has exceeded capacity and staff is doubling up on desk/office space.
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Property and Evidence space is over capacity.
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Limited parking, most notably on days when Court is in session.
See the images below for more context
Current Fire Administration Building:
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Located at 4701 Rowlett Road.
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3,500 square feet shared with community partners including Keep Rowlett Beautiful.
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Built in 1983 as an office building.
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The facility is at capacity with no workspace for future staff.
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Limited parking.
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Extensive and expensive renovation is needed, the facility has outgrown its useful life.
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Limited security.
The Proposed Facility Will Provide:
Security
The facilities were designed as office buildings and incorporate none of the security and access features that are standard for a modern public safety building.
Space for Future Growth
The proposed facility will be designed to serve the City of Rowlett for years to come and can be expanded in the future if necessary to accommodate full build-out.
Technology
The new facility will provide access control, dispatch services, surveillance, audio/video recording of interview rooms, drone operations, encrypted GMRS radio system, and computer networking.
Detention Center &
Evidence Storage
Safely and efficiently detain prisoners and provide space to store large amounts of physical evidence for extended periods of time. For example, by law, items containing biological evidence for an unsolved sexual assault must be retained for not less than 40 years. The unique requirements of jails and evidence storage increase the cost of the facility.
Did you know?
2003-Present
Storm Ready City
The City of Rowlett was one of the very first cities in Texas to receive the StormReady designation as a community better prepared to save lives from the onslaught of severe weather through meticulous planning, education, and awareness.
Measures include:
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10 advanced outdoor warning sirens.
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Connect Rowlett state of the art phone, text and email alert system to notify citizens of impending danger.
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Rowlett Citizen Corps Council (highly trained emergency volunteer groups)
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125-member Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and Fire Corps
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Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES), whose members provide field storm-
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spotters ham radio communication capabilities and community event support.
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32-member Fire Explorer Post
Public Safety Community Education and Outreach:
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Home fire safety inspections.
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Home fire escape planning assistance.
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Fire extinguisher training.
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CPR, First Aid and AED training - over 90 citizens receive training each year.
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Citizens Fire Academy.
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Fire safety education in schools.
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Citizens Police Academy.
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Volunteers in Police Services (VIPS)
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Crisis Assistance Program provides citizens and family members in emergency situations, emotional health crisis, or mental health crisis with resources and support.
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Annual Youth and Teen Police Academy.
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Annual Bike Rodeo and Safety Fair.
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School Resource Officers in all Rowlett schools.
CERT Excellence
The City of Rowlett set the standard for communities around Texas as one of the first cities to implement the federal government’s initiative for Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT). The program has trained more than 125 CERT volunteers and has been recognized by the Federal Emergency Management Agency for its excellence.