The new Orillia OPP building has enhanced both the force’s technology and the morale of its officers.
The former detachment on Peter Street closed Nov. 25 and the new one, at 1 University Ave., opened the next day.
“The new building is lovely,” said Insp. Veronica Eaton, detachment commander. “It has the latest technology that the OPP has to offer.”
The additional space provided at the new facility was necessary, especially since the Barrie OPP detachment was folded into the Orillia one.
At about 32,000 square feet, Orillia’s is the OPP’s largest detachment.
“We had people reporting to two separate offices,” Eaton said of the situation before the Orillia and Barrie detachments became one in the new building. “That’s been the biggest difference for us.”
Features at the new facility that weren’t available at the former one include a fitness room, and a meeting room for officer briefings. The latter had to take place in a portable at the old site.
North Simcoe Victim Services also operated out of a portable, but now the organization has an office inside the University Avenue building. So does Crime Stoppers of Simcoe-Dufferin-Muskoka.
The cramped quarters on Peter Street often posed challenges when it came to holding cells. There were two small cells and one large one. Now, there are 10 small cells and two large ones.
Eaton said officers and staff “are happy to be working out of a brand-new facility.”
“The morale has increased, for sure,” she said. “The (former) detachment served its purpose, but, for a long time, we’d outgrown the facility.”
There have been concerns about the detachment being relocated to west Orillia from downtown, but Eaton reassured residents officers “are still down there.”
“We still have a presence down there and we will continue to do so,” she said.
A request by OrilliaMatters to tour the new facility was denied. The reason police gave was that it was a “secure facility.”
