Tuttle Voters Considering Bond Package That Would Help Renovate Police Station

The Tuttle Police Department said its current headquarters is old and falling apart. The department said it needs a new place, but that’s going to cost about $2 million. 

That will be up to taxpayers in November.

The chief said it’s so bad, he’s willing to show anybody what it looks inside the building. So, News 9 took him up on it.

“This is the entrance to the PD. You can see this is just a window that’s turned sideways. They have no protection from anyone that may want to come in and do us harm,” said Police Chief Don Cluck.

He gave News 9 the grand a tour of the place. And it was anything but grand.

The 911 center is cramped. Air ducts are filthy. Walls are crumbling. The plumbing leaks, causing mold. There is no privacy for crime victims to tell police their stories.

“It’s kind of small, and it’s not fair to the citizens that it’s this small. Because of the privacy issues. If we’ve got more than one person in here to take a report, they can hear each other,” said Chief Cluck.

Office spaces are so cramped, it’s hard to get more than two people inside at the same time. The office where victims are interviewed is less than 10 feet from where the person who victimized them is often sitting handcuffed to a bench.

“We don’t have a holding cell or anything. If we arrest somebody, we have to handcuff them to the bench. If an officer has somebody in here, they’re here for the duration of the arrest. If there’s another call that drops, they can’t leave,” said Chief Cluck.

A vote is set for November to pay for a new facility. If it passes, it means the owner of a $100,000 home would have to pay an additional two dollars per month for the new police headquarters.

Chief Cluck said it’s necessary. “But it’s just kind of a poor design. It used to be a house and it just doesn’t work for us anymore.”