New UMass Amherst Police Station Renews Campus Safety Goals

AMHERST, Mass. — A new “high-tech” police station opened on the University of Massachusetts’ flagship Amherst campus — a facility that will call attention to the university’s renewed focus on campus safety.

The $12.5 million, 27,500-square-foot facility will serve as police headquarters and includes a new dispatch center, crime evidence lab and an emergency operation center. The station allows for staff growth from 68 to 80 over the next ten years and also provides the department with the space and capacity for more programs, including the Citizens Police Academy, Rape Aggression Defense and active threats training.

“This new center for public safety is a model for other schools,” said Henry Thomas of the university’s Building Authority and Board of Trustees. “It gives students, faculty and members of the community peace of mind that any situation can be handled safely and securely.”

The building received the 2011 Excellence in Construction Award by the Associated Builders and Contractors and will be the first LEED-certified facility on the campus. The station uses 43 percent less energy and 40 percent less water than a standard building and at least 90 percent of construction waste was diverted from landfills to recycling centers, according to officials.

The facility’s construction also utilized materials with at least 20 percent recycled content and regional materials manufactured within 500 miles of the site. Half the wood products are FSC-certified and paints, adhesives, and sealants are low VOC products. Lighting and HVAC systems use occupancy sensors for efficiency and air quality.

A “green” kiosk in the lobby of the station provides visitors with educational information about the building’s green features and will exhibit live data regarding the building’s energy consumption.

Equipped with enhanced day-to-day radio interoperability with police departments from surrounding areas, the facility is also designed to work with the Federal Emergency Agency, the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency and the Massachusetts State Police.

The police station is one of 20 projects overseen by the University of Massachusetts Building Authority that are under way throughout the five University of Massachusetts’ campuses.