For more than five decades, the Arizona Department of Public Safetyβs Tucson headquarters has been housed in a repurposed helicopter hangar.
Though some aspects of the south-side building have been remodeled, itβs still not up to standards. But DPS hopes to be able to change that as part of a $78 million request to the Arizona Legislature, which also includes work on other DPS offices throughout the state.
Jeffrey Hawkins, the president of the Arizona State Troopers Association, said the buildingβs second floor can only be accessed by stairs, making it impossible for anybody in a wheelchair to reach it. As a result, the department is fined every year for not meeting the American with Disabilities Act standards.
βWe had to do what we had to do, which was try to build an office here,β Hawkins said.
Another big issue the Tucson building faces is space. Many of the offices in the building are at full capacity. Currently, the squad room has a total of eight computers and four desks for 58 troopers to utilize and the lunchroom has just two tables.
The second floor of the Department of Public Safety building houses the border strike force and other units. There is no elevator, making the second floor inaccessible for people with disabilities.
βWe have 300 vacancies and to think that if they were going to hire 40 more people, they wouldnβt have any place to put them,β Hawkins said.
While they were able to remodel a training room, Hawkins said it still is hard to fit 400 troopers in the space.
βWeβre basically putting earrings on a pig,β Hawkins said. βTheyβve done the best they can, but this isnβt adequate for 400 people.β
Despite building a new crime lab building in 2007, Hawkins said troopers arenβt allowed to use that building due to securing evidence purposes.
In addition to space issues, the building also has congested circulation, an unreliable electrical power supply and inadequate security. With the funds, DPS is hoping to rebuild a new two-story building to provide a safer work environment for employees and improved service to the community.
The Arizona Department of Public Safety is hoping to receive funds to rebuild its Tucson headquarters, along with other facilities throughout the state.
Tucson isnβt the only place where DPS buildings are suffering. Hawkins said many buildings have had problems with asbestos and some offices are even managed out of single- or double-wide trailers.
The office in Benson operates in a floodplain and employees couldnβt access the office for two weeks last year because it was flooded, Hawkins said. The Northern Arizona offices donβt have heating or air conditioning systems, forcing them to use a space heater.
βTo think that thatβs where your State Police is running their organization out of,β Hawkins said. βWe think this is long overdue.β
Since DPS is a general fund, they need to lobby to try and get funding. On Tuesday, Hawkins gave a presentation to the Appropriations Committee in the Senate about the infrastructure needs. Hawkins said the members were βshocked.β
βEveryone deserves to come to a workplace where they shouldnβt expect asbestos or worry about it,β Hawkins said.
