Law enforcementNew high security police barracks opens in Maryland
The new $11.3 million Maryland State Police Barracks has opened up in Hagerstown, Maryland; the facility features many security measures and can serve as a command center in the event of a major emergency
New Maryland police barracks outside Hagerstown, MD // Source: techcontractingco.com
The new Maryland State Police Barracks has opened up in Hagerstown, Maryland, replacing an outdated barracks built in 1973. The barracks is one to twenty-two in the state.
The Herald-Mail reports that the $11.3 million facility was built to handle a growing community, and state police is working with the Maryland Department of Budget and Management to hire qualified citizens to work in specific departments, according to Sergeant Marc Black.
New features in the barracks include security measures such as bullet proof glass protecting the front desk and a 5-layer checkpoint system which one must pass through in order to get to the crime lab.
The lab, known as the Maryland State Police Forensic Sciences Division, is six times bigger than the old facility and has been used to analyze illegal drugs from five different counties in the state, according to Eileen Briley, a forensic scientist who works in the lab.
An expanded lab includes a larger evidence room and cameras to monitor the room as well as who goes in and out of the room, and five ventilation hoods with exhaust fans to remove gases that could be dangerous to analysts in the lab. The facility also includes dorms for up to seven workers to stay in overnight if there is an emergency.
A fingerprint lab is on location and closer to the local courts, and fingerprints in the lab can be analyzed through a chemical process, a powder process, and a light test, Lieutenant Thomas Woodward told theHerald-Mail.
The fingerprint lab, however, is not staffed at this time due to budgetary issues, according to Black.
The facility can also be transformed into a central command center if a large-scale emergency occurs, and has a generator that can power the entire facility and enough fuel to operate the building for a few weeks. There is also a classroom which is used by various public agencies for classes such as self-defense and Lamaze.
