Carmel City Police Department Facilities
Proposed Rebuild/Replace Project

Picturesque to most - but inadequate to serve our Village

Mar 6, 2024  City Hall - Join Dave Potter for a  Police Building Project Listening Session 

YouTube of this round table discussion is HERE. This was a very interactive format. 
Chip Rerig emphasized in the opening comments that the options on the table at this early stage remain as follows:

1. Remodel existing building
2. Demolish and rebuild on existing site
3. Potentially build a new station at Vista Lobos

Our City Hosting Tour's of Carmel Police Station & Salinas too - Signup Deadline March 15th

   The purpose of these tours is to provide an opportunity for interested members of the public to observe portions of the Carmel Police Building from the inside. The goal is for the public to gain an understanding of operational issues that need to be addressed through the Police Building Project which is currently underway, led by a City Ad Hoc Committee comprised of Mayor Potter and Councilmember Baron. 
   The City will host guided tours of the Carmel-by-the-Sea and Salinas Police Stations on Friday, March 29, 2024. The tour will begin in Carmel and go from 9:30 am to Noon with small waves of tour groups. Following the tour of Carmel, tours will be given of the Salinas Police Department starting at 1:30 pm in the same format.  
   To protect the security and safety of the Police Building operations, the tour will only be available to those who successfully complete a records check*.  The Carmel Police Department will conduct these records checks for free. 
  • In order to obtain a mandatory records check, Click the button below to submit the form no later than March 15th at 5:00 p.m.
  • In the interest of security, photos, videos or audio recordings will not be allowed on the tour.
*All information collected via this form or through the records check process will be kept strictly confidential 


February 1st, City Ad Hoc Workshop

This roundtable discussion was silimar to the prior Jan 25th meeting. Many suggestions and recommendations, including repeated mentions on rebuild on current site (noting interium needs while under construction).  A big next step ask & agreement was to have representatives of Indigo present their findings and assessment in person.  It was also noted that spending and plans for this project will be public facing, dates to be announced.  Plus a running Q&A tally will be captured and made publically available. 

    • City Agenda, Reports, Advanced Public Communications & Presentations HERE
    • YouTube from Workshop HERE
    • The Carmel Pine Cone Issue Feb 2, 2024 Article page 9 HERE (written before this Feb 1 workshop)

Key Documents - as background
(these links copied from city project page https://ci.carmel.ca.us/post/police-building-project)

January 25, 2024 - Special City Council - Community Meeting - Police Building Project

These meetings will scope and refine proposals for location and facilities for future decisions. This is expected to be a $20-30 million dollar investment with financing considerations to be explored.  
* HERE is the meeting YouTube Recording,
* HERE is the Meeting Packet PDF with pre-meeting Slides and 2 public emails, 
* HERE are just the last half net new slides covered at the Jan 25th meeting (the Jan 8th slides are available below)

This standing room only meeting again reviewed the Ad Hoc findings and was opened to questions, coments and concerns, with many addressed live.  Many questions were raised by attendees, especially noteworthly and repeatedly mentioned include:
a) the non-public decisions and recomendations are concerning; we are looking for increased community inclusion,
b) why is the City not sharing the complete Indigo consultant report - especially addressing the current building assessment? The City has now (as of Jan 30th) provided this full Indigo report - redacted HERE.
c) what can be visually shared with the public on the current facility?
Note: financing options and considerations have not yet been explored - that the public wants to better understand now/in parallel with a very rough estimate lump sum.  Until more scope is understood and approved the actual $'s are not expected. 

It was agreed to host more community input sessions to explore more feedback for this significant project in the coming weeks - currently planned for each of these Thursdays as follows: February 1st at 4:30 - Held,  additional dates were planned - but due to storms they have not yet reconviened.   Watch the City's Meeting page for updates. Note: The City has also created a webpage specific for this project at https://ci.carmel.ca.us/post/building-renovation-project.

January 8, 2024 - Special City Council Meeting - Police Building Project 

Staff, Consultant and Ad Hoc Council Members Mayor Dave Potter and Jeff Baron have been meeting to compile these findings, are now seeking comment and guildance, not decisions.  The building was originally built in the mid 1960's with very nominal updates since this time. 
    • YouTube from this meeting link HERE (this link will begin with this topic at the 34 minute mark)
    • See the Presentation as PDF as reviewed live at this meeting HERE.
    • Staff Report HERE
      • Police Department Assessment Summary HERE
      • Police Program Needs HERE
      • Land Use Considerations HERE
      • REDACTED - Full Indigo Report HERE  Newly shared as of Jan 30, 2024
Press Coverage ...some going back to 2017
    • KSBW Video on their report on January 12th on these findings with an interview of Chief Paul Tomasi. HERE 
    • The Carmel Pine Cone cover article "Experts say the Police Station is so decrepit it can't be fixed" in their January 12th, 2024 Issue - HERE
    • The Monterey County Weekly - "Squidfry" in their January 11th, 2024 Issue - HERE
    • The Carmel Pine Cone - cover article "Police Station remodel back on back burner" in their December 9th 2022 issue, page 1 - HERE
    • The Monterey County Weekly - "Carmel’s police station remains outdated while opponents argue over expansion." May 17, 2028 Issue - HERE
    • The Carmel Pine Cone -  "Council scales back police station remodel - only interior will be upgraded" in their March 8th 2018 issue, page 7 - HERE
    • The Carmel Pine Cone - "$1.75M design OK'd for expansion of police station" in their December 1st 2017 issue, page 9 - HERE

Previous Significant City Coucil Meeting(s) 

    • 2023 - August Strategic Planning Workshop - YouTube link HERE (starts with this Police Station Project topic)
    • 2023 - June Regular City Council - Agenda Consultant Indigo Agreement approved - Staff Report HERE  YouTube link HERE (this will begin with this item at the 40 minute mark)
    • 2023 - February Regular City Council - Consent Agenda Topic (that was not presented, but approved) Staff Report HERE. 
    • 2022 - December Regular City Council - Agenda PD Topic STAFF report HERE, YouTube Video HERE  (this will start at 44 minute mark).  (It's interesting how much of this Dec 2022 meeting covers the same content covered in meetings in early 2024)

    • 2019 - March  Regular City Council - Agenda PD Topic STAFF report HERE,  Video link  HERE *

    • 2017 - November 27th Special City Council - Agenda PD Topic STAFF report HERE, Video link HERE*

* = Video used before YouTube.