S TO R A G E 101 The stuff to know to do storage right
PUBLIC
SAFETY
TA BL E O F CO NTE NT S Introduction 01 – Applications 02 – Planning and Design 03 – Installation 04 – Ongoing Relationships 05 – We’re Here to Help
PUBLIC SAFETY STORAGE 101 You joined public safety to protect and serve. Not so much to organize and store. Yet, forensics needs evidence lockers. Firefighters, police and EMTs need personal lockers to stow their belongings when they’re in uniform. Plus, there’s all the equipment essential workers need to quickly access. Disorganization in law enforcement and public safety work spaces can be disastrous. It could, quite literally, make a life and death difference. At the very least, not being able to locate evidence or return an inmate’s belongings could lead to sticky legal issues. At the same time, public safety offices can be challenged by tight budgets and compact spaces. Sometimes departments work out of the basements of an old town hall. The location is great, but storage is overflowing. Patterson Pope focuses on making STUFF simple. This ebook discusses options available for public safety professionals to better organize evidence rooms, personal locker areas, property rooms and records, and weapons and gear storage. By the end of this exploration, you’ll understand how the right storage solutions can help you “control the scene” – not only in the field but in-house too.
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AP P L I CAT I O N S
Every department or area of a police precinct or sheriff’s office has its own unique challenges and solutions. Most important is the knowledge and experience to identify the perfect solution for each challenge. Our experience in all phases of storage — sales, planning, design, install — allow us to create custom storage solutions for any application and make the process as easy as possible.
EVIDENCE STORAGE EVIDENCE STORAGE OPTIONS PERSONAL STORAGE INMATE PROPERTY & RECORDS WEAPONS & GEAR STORAGE
EVIDENCE STORAGE Securing the chain of custody is critical. Whether it’s temporary or long-term, all evidence needs to be accessible only for authorized personnel. The deposit process needs to be secure. Plus, all the different types, sizes and shapes of evidence need to be organized for processing and storage. It’s a lot to manage. Especially in a police station already struggling with organization. Space is typically at a premium. Yet, there is always something new to securely process and store. Best practices for correctly handling and storing guns, money, drugs, sexual assault kits and other evidence and property are always evolving. Implementing an evidence system taking advantage of the best storage solutions available can: + Protect chain of custody + Provide full transparency + Streamline the process + Increase productivity + Maximize space and budget Storage improvements can also help delineate particular areas for different types of property and gain efficiency from more organized storage.
LEARN MORE Click here to learn more about our Evidence Storage solutions
A CASE IN POINT
The Moore County (NC) Sheriff’s Office once stored all its evidence on standard shelving in a 12 by 12 foot space. In a move to a new building, they increased the space to 1,000 square feet and installed a mixture of drawers, compact shelving and lockers.
The Mount Pleasant Police Department doubled its evidence storage capacity with a move and the flexible storage solutions provided to accommodate more evidence items of various types and sizes.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Department, serving the Chicago area in Illinois, secures its chain of custody with pass-through lockers.
With all this extra room, I was able to delineate certain areas for certain kinds of items. — Sergeant Greg Horton, Mount Pleasant Police Department
EVIDENCE STORAGE OPTIONS Evidence Lockers Modular Furniture Enjoy greater confidence in evidence collection and Installing modular furniture in the processing room chain of custody with the right mix of customized gives officers a place to enter information into the evidence lockers. tracking system, package items appropriately and safely deposit property or evidence in a locker. + Pass-through lockers let officers place evidence in a secure locker that can be High-density Mobile Shelving accessed from the technicians in the Gone are the days of throwing up some static evidence room on the other side of the shelving with 36” aisles in between. Whether it’s wall. Available in a range of sizes and door configurations. in the evidence room on-site or in an evidence + Non-pass through lockers can help storage warehouse, high-density mobile shelving streamline processes too and are also suits short or long-term evidence storage. available to accommodate large and small evidence. Also called “compact storage” or “movable storage,” + Refrigerated evidence lockers provide these systems create one or more movable aisles. secure, temporary storage for biological With fewer fixed aisles, you’ll have more available evidence. + Weapons evidence storage makes for more space — as much as 50% more floor space for more productive purposes or additional storage space. efficient use of space with customized shelving to secure weapons. LEARN MORE Click here to learn more about our Evidence Storage options
A CASE IN POINT
The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office was housing evidence in a prison built in 1938. When making the move to a brand new evidence warehouse, the Florida department maximized space by going vertical and mobile.
Spacesaver pass-thru evidence lockers built into the wall that separates the evidence processing area from the property and evidence room enable Whitehall Police Department to provide an extra-secure chain of custody.
The Knox County Criminal Court evidence storage room went from cluttered, index card-based system to an attractive, secure, and stateof-the-art area with a new computer inventory system. Powered high-density storage helped the transformation.
Now we’ve got everything organized and know at the tap of a button what aisle, row, or bin something is in. It’s wonderful. — Mike Hammond, Criminal Court Clerk for Knox County Tennessee
PERSONAL STORAGE Public safety officers spend hours of their work life at the station. Firefighters at least get a slide, but police officers and EMTs have to make do without. All of them, though, need to be able to keep their personal belongings somewhere safe. When they’re off duty, they need a place to organize and secure uniforms, weapons, equipment and other gear. Investing in strong, durable, high-quality personal duty lockers can meet public safety personnel’s changing needs. Freestyle® Personal Storage Lockers, made in the USA, offer the strength and adaptability required. Personal Storage Lockers and Gear Lockers from Spacesaver are available in a variety of configuration options. Customizations include: + Weapons storage rails + Benches with inset drawers + ADA-compliant lockers without benches + Retractable locker room seating + Sloped tops to prevent piling items on lockers + Linking the locker system to a ventilation system + Providing charging stations for electronics + Separated, internal locked compartments for personal items + Drying racks for ballistic vests + Fitted trays for boots and shoes + Accessories including door-mounted mirrors and belt hooks, slots for file folders and drawers for toiletries There are also a variety of lock options available. Secure public safety personnel stuff with padlock, keyed or combination locks. Or embrace the future with touch-less smart lockers. LEARN MORE Click here to learn more about our Personal Storage solutions
A CASE IN POINT
Tennessee’s Franklin Police Department installed personal storage lockers with ventilation to provide consistent airflow to aid in drying officer gear as well as odor removal. The changes led to Franklin’s Indoor Environmental Quality LEED certification.
Configurable lockers helped the Salisbury Police Department in Pennsylvania meet its goal of not sending officers home in uniform. FreeStyle Personal Lockers with bench drawers, drying racks for ballistic vests, fitted boot trays and an integrated electrical system can be adapted to suit each officer.
Campus police officers can benefit too from the convenience of gear lockers customized to fit the space and provide configurable personal storage.
These lockers make it so easy to come to work, to be able to change, shower at the end of your shift and change into civilian clothes...it seems like a minor thing, but it really made a difference to the other officers. — Chief Allen Stiles, Salisbury Township Police Department
INMATE PROPERTY & RECORDS Efficiency and effectiveness are essential in public safety settings. To facilitate access and retrieval of inmate property and public safety records, the department needs to organize its storage. Many of these items must also be secured, whether on a temporary basis or for the long haul until they can be disposed of properly. Get inmate property and records storage under control with these customizable options. Rotary File Cabinets Compact your file storage and effectively maintain active and inactive files to respond to record requests with rotary file cabinets. The back-toback revolving storage compartments provide two banks of stored material to save space and money.
Modular Drawer Cabinets Combine the accessibility and security of filing cabinets with the space efficiency of open shelving to store more materials per square foot of floor space. For security, keyed locks are standard on all modular drawers and receding doors.
Wide-span Shelving There is no one size for inmate property. Store everything from small electronics to big and bulky items using wide-span shelving. This rugged, versatile shelving can be used in static applications or integrated with a mobile storage system.
High-density Mobile Storage Mechanical-assist or electronic-powered mobile shelving can significantly reduce storage footprint. Mounting shelves or drawer cabinets onto mobile carriages can make it even easier to do more in less space.
LEARN MORE Click here to learn more about our Property & Records solutions
A CASE IN POINT
A mechanical-assist mobile shelving system installed at the Franklin Police Department increased both storage capacity and productivity in the records room.
Guilford County’s Detention Center in North Carolina streamlined the property transactions around inmate court appearances, parole hearings, or visitations with high-density mobile storage and 1,600 large blue plastic totes.
Correctional institutions detention centers provide healthcare and need ready access to a variety of medications and supplies. FrameWRX modular shelving units simplify pharmaceuticals tracking.
We never realized how important the storage components would be and what a difference a good system makes. — Sgt. David Prather, Franklin Police Department
WEAPONS & GEAR STORAGE Public safety personnel need to be in a constant state of readiness. Their stuff needs to be immediately available too. Weapons, body armor, riot shields and fire gear all need to be secure and organized. There are solutions for that too. Sally Port Lockers Offer convenient, temporary weapon storage with wall-mounted gun lockers. Available for flush-mounting or protruding from the wall surface, these compact and lockers provide the utmost in handgun security.
Tactical Readiness Lockers Gear up and go quickly with all the personal protective gear and equipment you need, such as chest, arm, elbow and leg protectors and helmets stowed in spacious, durable lockers with perforated mesh doors for visibility and ventilation. Tactical readiness lockers can be customized to suit individual officers too.
Special Response Lockers Open, double-wide lockers positioned by a Floor-mounted Gun Lockers briefing room can give team members quick Store guns and ammo out of sight without access to the gear they’ll need to deploy. sacrificing public safety using floor-mounted gun Universal Weapons Rack (UWR) lockers. These can be configured for handguns Keep long guns, handguns and ammunition only or a mix of handgun and long gun. Securely stored securely on specially configured shelving store ammunition in accessories custom-built inside a locked weapons room. The Universal for that need. Weapons Rack accommodates any combination of weapons with optics zeroed. These cabinets are also built for transport without repacking. LEARN MORE Click here to learn more about our Weapons & Gear solutions
A CASE IN POINT
At the Franklin Police Department, flush-mounted pistol lockers and Universal® Weapon Racks (UWRs) were used in five different areas within the facility to store rifles, long guns, pistols and assault weapons.
Adding four-post shelving with weapons rack functionality and Rollok doors gives Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office in Conyers, Georgia secure storage for guns.
The US Army’s Fort Carson uses Tactical Readiness Gear Lockers to ensure that everything from uniforms, equipment, and ammunition to bulky duty bags and TA-50 is secure, accounted for, and ready to go.
The increased storage area, the organization and the added security all make for a winning project. It’s a noticeable difference. It’s so much easier to manage. — Captain Duane Day, Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office
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PL A N N I N G AND D ES I G N
Here’s where you get to the hands-on part of the course. What? You’re not ready to plan and design your own storage? Don’t worry, that’s what the upperclassmen are for! Or, in this case, the storage solution experts. When you work with a partner such as Patterson Pope, the planning and design stage begins with a space survey and assessment. There are no cookie-cutter problems in the world of storage and no one-size-fits-all solutions. Our experts look at: + Access points in the room + ADA considerations + Item weight + Need for security + Code compliance concerns + Floor load + Structural engineering factors + Fire code implications + Sprinkler heads, fire alarm, HVAC placement
“We’re not just trying to pack a lot of stuff in a small space. We’re trying to create a workflow, a really efficient work environment, and a safer workplace.” — Mike Hisman
Whether working directly with the client or the client’s architect, designer, engineer or contractor, Patterson Pope’s certified planners co-design a customized storage solution. Based on measurements of the available space and inventory of your current storage solutions, our dedicated planners will draw up specs to meet your needs. We want to make the project suit your needs. So, we have revision stages. Our storage specialist brings the designs back to your decision makers to ask for your input before anything is settled and agreed upon. LEARN MORE Click here to learn more about the P2 Process
All in a Day’s Planning Our planners might get handed detailed, thorough specs from the site visit and consultation with the client. Or they’re given just the bare essentials and carte blanche to find the best solution. Using multiple design tools, the planners then move different storage options around in space to maximize the effectiveness of the storage in the space. They’re not only thinking about aesthetics, but also how the storage solution will be used today — and in the future.
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IN STAL L AT I O N
Just as the goal of this guide has been to keep you from having to do the hard work, our certified installers help you avoid the heavy lifting. It’s not just that you don’t have to put heavy storage cabinets or highdensity carriages together yourself. We collaborate with your engineers, general contractors and subcontractors to take the scheduling responsibility off your shoulders. We work out a timeline for product delivery and installation that works with your team’s schedule. Then, when it comes time to install, Patterson Pope brings in pros to do the job right. Our technicians and installation crews are full-time, experienced storage installers, certified with our manufacturers, experienced in applications and have collectively over 100 years of experience in the our field. With smart storage solutions, Patterson Pope also has technologists on staff who can troubleshoot the software. Even when it comes to powered lifts and mobile shelving, it is critical that we have people on our team that know and support this technology. Our teams are flexible and work to meet scheduling requests of clients, architects and designers. After hours or on a specified date? We’ll work hard to make that commitment work. We do what it takes to make the sure the project is done right and on time.
OUR We install it right. PROMISE Or we make it right.
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Patterson Pope partners with the best storage system manufacturers. That means you get top quality product and top-of-the-line warranties too. LEARN MORE Click here to learn more about our Business Partners
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O NG O I N G RE L AT I O NS H I P
Patterson Pope is like that Professor you can go back to for advice or a recommendation. We like to continue our relationships with our clients. Our long-term partnership starts with our technical crews offering on-site product training. This makes sure your people know how to use the storage systems we put in place. We’ll also go over the product warranties, service agreements and maintenance contracts. You may not get to fill out a course evaluation on your Patterson Pope engagement, but we’ll still be checking back with you to make sure you’re happy. Our company reputation is on the line. We’ve been doing this for 50 years. We stand by the quality of the products we sell and the care you get working with us.
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WE’ R E H E R E TO H E L P
With Patterson Pope, you’re buying the whole package. You’re not just getting a storage solution. You’re getting the design, project management, installation and a longterm relationship with a company you can count on. Storage doesn’t have to be an afterthought. Thinking storage upfront in a new building, an expansion or renovation, lets you respond to human need and plan for efficient use of space in a cost-effective way. Oh, and Patterson Pope’s experts are always here to help!
Public safety personnel can close the case on storage challenges with the solutions explored in this ebook. Whether your priority is streamlining processes, improving quick access, saving space or budget, securing chain of custody or improving morale with efficient personal storage, Patterson Pope has the combination of customizable storage to meet your needs. We serve those who serve. Contact us today!
Patterson Pope takes the complicated and makes it simple. Your records, your stuff, your space — all simplified. If it’s in your organization and you can touch it, we help you store it, track it and retrieve it using less space and time than you ever thought possible. Over its decades in the storage business, Patterson Pope has earned an excellent reputation as a committed partner with clients, architects and general contractors by providing expertise — from consultation to implementation — that delivers bottom-line results.
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