Elizabeth Wilson

The Merced FOCUS

Old pipes. Broken air conditioners. Offices in closets.

These are the challenges Merced police officers face day in and day out while working from an aging headquarters the department has outgrown.

Staffing at the police department is the best it’s been in years, Chief Steven Stanfield told The FOCUS. But now, the Merced Police Department’s outdated building is busting at the seams as personnel grows and leadership aspires to expand further, he explained.

The city does not have the money to build a new police station, local officials acknowledge. Stanfield estimates a new police station would cost $50 million. Funding will determine when a new station can be built — resources the city is actively searching for, City Manager Scott McBride said.

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