The Manitou Springs Police Department opened its temporary offices on Dec. 28 in a work trailer in the parking lot of the Manitou Springs Pool and Fitness Center.

The police expect to work out of the trailer while the police station is remodeled. The project is intended to make the building at 606 Manitou Ave. more safe and functional.

“This remodel is overdue,” said City Councilwoman Judith Chandler, during a December meeting.

The station only has one usable holding cell and it does not have its own restroom facilities, said Katie Hillson, the city’s project manager during the meeting. Police must escort those in the cell to the restroom that is used by visitors and department staff as well.

Manitou Springs Police Chief Bill Otto described the situation as unsafe and unsanitary.

“It takes generally two officers to monitor someone while they are in the restroom and it’s right in an area where the general business of the day is going on,” he told the council.

The other two holding cells at the station are completely unusable and have been converted to other uses because they didn’t meet the standard for even temporary holding cells, he said.

When the Manitou Springs police need to hold two people at the same time, a police officer will sit with one person in a police vehicle, he said.

As part of the remodel, Thomas General Contractors will put in two new holding cells with toilets and sinks, said Alex Trefry, a spokesman for the city.

The locker rooms will also be updated. Right now, lockers form one of the walls in the men’s locker room. The remodeled rooms will have a standard design, he said.

Some other updates include new paint and new flooring, according to the contract. The work is expected to cost $680,000 and take about 130 days according to city documents.

In preparation for the move, the work trailer was outfitted with bars over the windows and security cameras, Trefry said. The department will also not be storing any sensitive evidence in the trailer.

People who are arrested will be held either in officers’ vehicles or at the El Paso County jail, he said.

While officers are working out of the trailer, regular policing will be ongoing and front desk services will be available. For example, found property can still be dropped off at the station.

The police department expects to move back into its building in April, Trefry said.

The front desk phone number for the station remains 719-685-5407.

The Manitou Springs Police Department is temporarily working out of a trailer in the parking lot of the Manitou Springs Pool and Fitness Center as the police station is remodeled.

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