Construction continues on new U. Police HQ

The $2.5 million building is slated for completion by early January and will house all security units. After a busy August, construction of the new, $2.5 million Division of Public Safety headquarters at 4040 Chestnut Street is on schedule and will be completed by its early January deadline, officials said. The building will serve as the headquarters for every campus security unit -- including the University Police Department, Spectaguard, Sensormatic Electronics Corporation's campus security headquarters and Public Safety's Special Services and Victim Support units. Spectaguard is currently based out of Graduate Tower B at 36th and Chestnut streets, while the Public Safety mini-station at 40th and Walnut streets houses the other divisions. Workers demolished the interior of the old building in early August, and steps to complete its internal reconstruction are "well underway," according to Project Manager Michael Swiszcz. Also in August, workers dug up many of the sidewalks between the W.E.B. DuBois College House and the site of the new building in order to install an underground transmitter for the facility's data wires, which will be put into place in December. The wires will provide the facility with improved data, voice and video capabilities, as well as high-speed ethernet-based Internet access and additional phone lines. The wiring -- which will cost approximately $400,000 -- will also support possible future technologically advanced safety initiatives such as biometric palm and iris scanners, as well as new blue-light emergency phones equipped with high-speed video cameras. But while most of the work was done below University-owned sidewalks, installing the new transmitter also required workers to block off and dig up several city streets for a few days in August. Traffic on Walnut Street, for example, was reduced to one lane between 39th and 40th streets over the course of the construction. All sidewalks and roads were repaved according to standards set by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Swiszcz said. In December, Information Systems and Computing workers will begin installing the data wires as part of the final step of the construction process. But the work will not require any more massive digging or repaving of area sidewalks and streets. "There is no need to 're-dig' the conduit," Swiszcz said. "Access points were installed along the route for installation of the wires." Many campus security officials expressed enthusiasm about the facility -- a pet project of Public Safety Managing Director Thomas Seamon --Ewhich they said would improve communications between the various divisions. For example, because of space problems in the 40th Street Police Mini-Station, Spectaguard and the University Police operate on two separate communications systems, hampering interaction between the two units. But Spectaguard Assistant Vice President Gesi McAllister said the new headquarters will provide ample space for Spectaguard to work on a joint roll call with police. "This will definitely improve morale and communications," she said, adding that "it's difficult to work as a team when the members [are based] in a number of locations -- [shared space] is something that is needed and will ultimately benefit everyone."