The Orion Township Board authorized the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department to send out a request for proposal (RFP) to remodel the Orion Township Hall Sheriff substation.
According to Lt. Daniel Toth, “unfortunately it’s something that needs to be done now because the station has not had any improvements since 1996.”
The Orion substation operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, Toth explained, so has seen a lot of use. He pointed to the threadbare carpets, rusted out lockers, crumbling and discolored ceiling tiles, and peeling paint as items that have outlived their life-span.
Toth said the objectives for the remodeling are more than merely improving the optics of the Sheriff’s station, however. He hopes to create two additional interview spaces–one for the public and one for suspects.
The first objective, Toth explained, was to “create a professional environment so that we can interact with victims of crime in a very private setting away from the report writing room and away from other business going on at the police station. That directly affects the residents since obviously there are a lot of sensitive situations with crime victims.”
In addition to directly benefiting the public with a victim’s interview room, Toth said his department looks to update the suspect interview rooms because they “have to have appropriate places to place the suspect so the detective can do professional and effective interviews.”
The third motive for the remodeling is to simply “maintain the infrastructure here at the Township Hall”
Residents and victims need a private space to speak with deputies and detectives, and police need appropriate interview spaces so that they may conduct police work efficiently and professionally.
Creating these two new spaces will not require extensive renovations, Toth said. He expects to be able to multi-task some of the spaces already in place in the Township offices, so no additions or extension to the structure are anticipated.
The projected work “will be on non-supporting interior walls,” Toth explained, so it’s “more of a remodel than a renovation.”
Now that the Board has approved the RFP, Toth said the next step is to “get some folks in here to validate some of the suggestions that we have.”
Toth envisions no further remodeling or renovations needed in the future. Before any large projects can be considered, Toth suggested, the Sheriff’s department hopes to reinstate the five deputies laid off due to recent budget constraints.