Glendale voters to decide on funding a new crime lab, other police projects next month

Glendale residents will choose in less than a month whether their police department can be funded the money to build a new crime lab and a new evidence storage facility, among other projects.

On Nov. 7, Glendale voters are expected to decide in a special bond election whether $78 million should be invested into public safety projects. If Question 2 is approved, Glendale police would get a new forensics laboratory, a new police evidence storage facility, an expanded training facility shared with other agencies, and get their main building and other stations modernized.

Money would also go into acquiring additional and replacement fire and police protection equipment, crime prevention, public safety and security systems, fire trucks, police cars, and other public safety cars.

The rest of the funds would go to Glendale Fire projects and improving the city court.

Gina Winn, a spokesperson for Glendale police told The Arizona Republic in an email that these measures would help police clear cases sooner, improve employee training, and keep buildings functioning and serving the community more safely.

Advocates of the bond measure, some who previously worked for the department, say that the funds would give Glendale police more resources to work efficiently to keep criminals off the streets and reduce crime.

Brandon Keefer, a retired Glendale police detective, wrote in support of the measure stating that in his nearly 25 years with the agency, they had limited resources and could not work as efficiently as they wanted to.

"Caseloads stacked up, evidence took too long being analyzed, and occasionally we'd identify a suspect only to find out that they had left the city or even the state," Keefer said.

Glendale has a nearly 40-year-old forensics lab. However, the Arizona Department of Public Safety conducts all DNA and drug testing, according to Winn.

Keefer argued that in passing the bond, upgrading existing police and fire stations and constructing new ones would reduce response times. Additionally, Keefer stated that in building Glendale's own forensics lab, it would dramatically reduce the wait time for evidence that's needed to "solve violent crimes and get perpetrators off our streets."

Kara Pronko, a Glendale resident and supporter of the bond, stated that in addition to updating equipment, Glendale police need improved training, including attention to crime prevention and security. She wrote that she is a mother of three and wants her children to grow up and build their lives in a safe city.

However, the most common argument in support of Question 2's police projects was the construction of a new crime lab, according to the bond's informational pamphlet.

David Goitia and Troy Evans of the Fraternal Order of Police argued that currently, people like drug dealers, especially those dealing fentanyl, are able to roam free and potentially victimize others while police wait for lab results to secure an arrest.

"How many more people will they victimize? And then how are they tracked down a month later? What about victims of sexual assault," Goitia and Evans wrote.

With a new lab, the two argued that drug dealers and other criminals could be placed in jail sooner instead of being given the opportunity to victimize others while lab results stack up.

Former Glendale Police Chief John E. "Jack" Rose, who retired as chief in 1989, also wrote in support of the bond and a new crime lab. He explained that under the current process, investigators must submit evidence requiring examination to a lab that provides the same service to several other departments.

And despite any efforts to prioritize cases, Rose stated this "take-a-number" system causes delays in the overall investigation.

"Waiting for lab results is frustrating, inefficient, and dangerous."

Winn agreed. In addition to having the ability to submit cases for prosecution sooner and minimize the time it takes to test for illicit substances, she said having their own lab would generate flexibility with expediting priority cases.

The expansion of the training facility would provide more opportunities for more diverse and improved trainings for first responders, said Winn, adding that the Glendale Regional Public Safety Training Center is used by multiple police and fire departments and expanding would be more economical for them.

Types of training could include defensive tactics, defensive driving, firearms, narcotics training, physical fitness, wellness, active shooter, and multi-agency response, and the expansion would also provide the opportunities to coordinate their trainings in a greater capacity and work on coordinated responses to calls for service, according to Winn.

As for the modernization of the stations, Winn said that updating the infrastructure to the main police station will allow it to continue functioning in a safe manner, enhance the effectiveness and proficiency of their operations, and improve their service to the community. It would also increase the retention of current employees, and recruitment of future ones, she said.

There were no arguments filed against the bond in the informational pamphlet.

Residents will also vote on Question 1, which would provide $82 million in funds to improve streets and intersections. Assistant city manager Vicki Rios said in June that the bonds were not expected to result in a tax rate increase.

Ballots are expected to be mailed to Glendale residents on Oct. 11, as it is a mail-only election. The election is on Nov. 7, and ballots must be received by 7 p.m. that day.

Reporter Elena Santa Cruz covers Mesa, Tempe, and Glendale Police. Have a tip? Reach her at elena.santacruz@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Glendale voters to decide on funding new crime lab, police projects