Manitou Springs Police Department gets major safety upgrades

MANITOU SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - The Manitou Springs Police Department unveiled a newly renovated headquarters Wednesday after months of the Department working out of trailers. According to the city, the renovations were finished ahead of schedule and under budget.

The renovations include ADA-compliant features, energy-efficient lighting and gender-separated locker rooms for staffing. However, the most exciting change to the headquarters includes two newly renovated holding cells in place of the old singular holding cell, which lacked a bathroom.

"The walls and the ceiling were all metal. It was about maybe half the size with no bathroom in it, no running water, or anything like that, so we had people in custody that had to use the restroom," Manitou Springs Police Department Chief Bill Otto said, while describing the interior of the old holding cell.

To be clear, Chief Otto meant that there were times when suspects would have to use the same restroom that officers and visitors used.

"We had at a minimum two officers, who had to bring them out of the cell, which was located down the hallway here, and take them into the bathroom," Otto said.

The lack of restrooms in the holding cell wasn't the only issue the department had to face. If they had more than one person in custody, the department would have to get creative and place one person in the back of a police unit, guarded by an officer.

According to Otto, that would create issues with staffing, as the 14-person department often has as little as 2-4 officers on one shift.

"We have plenty [of officers] on day shifts. Nights can get a little thin sometimes," Otto said.

Now, many of those issues have been alleviated, thanks to the new nearly $900,000 in completed renovations.

"This really frees up our personnel and it's much cleaner, much more sanitary, and safer, not only for the staff but for the people we have in custody," Otto said.