Open letter regarding Police Station vote
[this letter was submitted as a letter to the editor to both the Minuteman & Lex Observer for publication , but neither organization publishes letters to the editor at this time]
LRRPS Supports Debt Exclusion for Police Station Construction
Lexington Residents Reimagining Public Safety (LRRPS) favors a YES vote in the Special Election on June 6, 2022. The question posed to voters asks for approval of a debt exclusion for the cost of design and construction of a new Police Station, which currently stands at $35.2 million, according to the Town Manager’s memo to the Select Board dated March 18, 2022. You can learn more about the police station project on the Town’s website.
We agree that the current police station is at the end of its useful life and needs to be replaced. As residents interested in improving communication, transparency, and community input regarding policing practices in Lexington, we are glad to see that the new station design includes a welcoming lobby, a community room, and a private area for those walking into the building to report concerns. We are also encouraged by the Police Chief’s public commitment to integrating social service programming into the work of the department, and we applaud the steps taken to design a space onsite for social service professionals to collaborate directly with police officers on alternative emergency responses.
We encourage you to vote YES on June 6 to provide our Police Department with a building that will support best practices of public safety in the coming decades.
Sincerely,
LRRPS (info@lrrps.org)
Sarah Higginbotham
Valerie Overton
Alexis Porras
Tom Shiple
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