Over $2 Mil to go towards projects for Altoona police department

ALTOONA, Pa. (WTAJ) — More than $2 million worth of renovations are now set in motion for the Altoona Area Police Department.

At the Altoona City Council meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 10 funds for the projects were approved. The money will come from the American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA).

Altoona Police Chief Joe Merrill says the project will provide much-needed space, especially for evidence. He says the advancements in evidence analysis, and the volume of evidence, have made it that they have outgrown their current evidence room.

Merrill says not only is this space needed now, but it’ll have enough space for even more expansion in the future.

“The next 20, 30 years is the goal,” Merrill said. “If we did not have the ability to do this addition, we would have to be looking at other options because we’re shortly going to run out of room.”

The building sits on the 1100 block of 16th Street and the two-story addition will expand it to 15th Street. The area is currently an empty lot.

The evidence room will take up the entire first floor of the addition while the second floor will include a dedicated area for the department’s two K-9’s, a new forensic exam room and additional offices.