The City of Billings Police Department's Evidence Facility is a first priority in the approved City's Facilities Master Plan.  The building requires an expansion to meet the growing demands on this Police operation which includes Evidence Storage, Processing, and Impound.  The site at the Billings Operations Center is in proximity to the Police Patrol and Training Facility and is currently working well with logistics and efficiencies of location.  The adjacent lot to the east of this site was purchased by the City a number of years ago.  Staff is recommending moving forward with an expansion to this Evidence Facility and Impound lot at the current site that will maximize staff efficiencies and be designed to meet requirements of the IAPE (International Association for Property and Evidence) for level of standards and for future Accreditation.

Alternatives analyzed in this effort included a RFP for a conceptual design of an expanded Evidence Facility at the current site, as well as another RFP to evaulate alternative sites within the City.  The conceptual design project included in-depth analysis of current conditions as of January, 2017 and full evaluation of procedures, processes, conditions and growth needs.  The approach was to give greatest attention to the highest priority issues within Evidence and to address each of those in design.  The subsequent RFP on Altenatives Sites resulted in a Recommendation to proceed on the existing site at the Billings Operations Center (BOC).  On July 16, 2018, Staff presented alternatives at the City Council Work Session including a 5-year and a 10-year growth concept along with other options for storage of Police Operation Vehicles, such as the Crime Van.  The Council advised that the 5 year plan may be too short a window and to come back with a recommendation that looks at the 10 year Option or explore the possibility of a 20 year Option.
 
Therefore, Staff is making a recommendation with some other choices for City Council to consider and Council may:

• Approve; or,
• Not Approve the recommendation: or,
• Modify and Approve Revised Recommendation to move forward. 

The recommendation of Option 2 (10-year Growth Plan) is presented and attached.  Staff is recommending adding the Phase II Design Fee of $288,000 - $325,000 (depending on Option or modifications approved)  to the FY19 Budget.  Construction of the expansion will be included in the requested FY20 Budget. The Project will be added back into the City's CIP.  The method of funding the construction will be determined by City Council at a later date upon further evaluation.

In December of 2016, a team consisting of Police Staff and Facilities unanimously received Council approval to award a Contract, as a result of a RFP process, to Schutz Foss Architects which included Roth Sheppard Architects of Denver.  The scope of RFP required a firm with direct Police Operations and Evidence experience.  The scope was to complete Phase I of a conceptual design process to identify and design a Billings Police Evidence expansion.  After the initial Report, the project was presented for discussion to Council.  There was public intervention in the process that challenged the site and cost in the Report.  At the direction of City Council, another RFP was issued for the purpose of seeking alternative sites for this expansion.  After completing that process, a recommendation was presented to Council to proceed with the Evidence Expansion at the current BOC site.  Subsequently, the team reconsidered cost refinement options on the conceptual design and presented to a Council Work Session on July 16, 2018.  The Police Department presented an Expansion with options including a 5-year and a 10-year Design with some variables for other Storage.  The Work Session resulted in Council directing the Team to return with a recommendation on a 10-year Option and looking into some design options for a 20-year window of growth.  

 

The expectation of this Expansion of the Police Evidence Facility is to assure the facility will meet requirements of the IAPE (International Association for Property and Evidence) which includes Temporary Storage, Documentation, Chain of Custody, Storage Locations and Methods, Notification Protocol, Distribution Procedures, Inventory Requirements, Right of Refusal, and Purging.  In addition, it is a goal within the City Of Billings Police Department to attain Accreditation for their Evidence Facility, which would not be possible in the current facility.  The proposed expansion is the first priority in the City's adopted Facilities Master Plan.