The Raymond Police Department (RPD) wishes to have a new approximately $7M facility built on town property, adjacent to the current PD/FD. But, does the amount of crime currently justify it?
Note: Last night’s meeting was canceled due to inclement weather, and will be held TONIGHT, January 24, 2017, same time and place.
Please join the taxpayers of Raymond on their FaceBook page to keep up to date on this situation:
No New Police Facility for Raymond
Here is a summary of the situation:
– RPD claims that their current building is unsafe, too small, and *dangerous* according to MRI, Inc (a for-profit business owned/run by ex-police and ex-govt)
Raymond PD Safety Review [PDF]
– New RPD would be equipped with a gym, bulletproof walls and glass throughout. They’re giving tours to residents to show them their cramped (staged) PD.
– Population in Raymond is expected to reach a whopping 11,000 (currently 10,100) by 2045 according to the state OEP population projections. Who are we building this for? THE COPS.
– Currently, Raymond schools are rated poorly, not because of the buildings, but because of the quality of education. What are taxpayers paying for to live here besides a nice new PD.
– Current elementary school that is proposing a renovation, is built IN A FLOOD ZONE, which they say that they will “flood proof”. So kids can still go to school in a flood zone, but the PD gets a brand spanking new complex.
– No one knows who is going to occupy the old RPD once the new RPD is ready. No one knows, yet. How can the town be so speculative about this? Someone at the 1/23 public hearing mentioned that he would not be OK with say, the recreation dept using the old RPD, as it’s considered a safety complex. Raymond Fire Dept (RFD) is also housed there. They have no room at town hall, virtually NONE, and they want to move departments to the old RPD, which makes zero sense!
– Crime is plummeting in Raymond, Chief Salois tells us, on video, that less officers means less crime, but we’ve increased our officers over the last 12 years while crime has actually been decreasing. (See crime rate stats from Raymond PD below – click for larger view)
– Zero compromise, zero consideration of other options. Options of adding onto the existing building have been tossed to the side. The entire board of Selectmen is on board with the new RPD. The committee they’ve formed is full of town workers AND taxpayers who ONLY support it, NONE that question/oppose.
– Here is a link to a video where a resident spoke on 1/23 to the board. Board member Barnes loses it, and you see the woman next to him also looking very uncomfortable. It’s been said that Barnes has said this before about Orlando/violence against police.
Board Meeting January 23, 2017 – (resident starts speaking at 15:00)
– When the chief talks about the holding cell, the says “self medicating/mentally ill” people being housed in PD, but wouldn’t someone who’s having a medical issue (opiate OD) be at the hospital? What about the mentally ill person? Why are they being processed at the PD and not the emergency room? Makes no sense.
– Lastly, the chief speaks about not having a holding cell and that it’s dangerous.
Here is a video that the PD released about the holding cell. It makes no sense.
They use the excuse of distance when arguing the holding cell and that if the officers at the PD watching the prisoner is closest to an emergency call, they say that the other officers have to travel further to respond. BUT… what if the officer at the PD is on the other side of town too, and not with a prisoner… these hypothetical situations are just that, hypothetical. What if we spent $6.8M on every hypothetical situation? Here’s the video, wait for the casket at the end.
More info…
Warrant Article:
Warrant Article
(The 9.4M school *renovation* is not on this warrant article, but it will be voted on in March)
Town Hall Meeting & Vote Dates:
Voting Dates
Recent Article from Union Leader:
Union Leader on Raymond PD
Raymond PD website: (has links to many resources for the proposed PD)
Raymond PD
Town Website:
Town of Raymond, NH
CALEA is a NON-governmental organization that was mentioned by the officer in the public meeting… We ask, are NGOs driving the agenda in local government and should they be?
CALEA