[mikey742]

Lawsuit: Police station's condition criminal
By Brock Parker/ Somerville Journal
Sunday, August 7, 2005

Toxic mold, bugs, rats and disease run rampant through the Someville Police station in Union Square, according to 10 officers who are suing to get out of a building they say has made them and others sick for almost two decades.

``It's an injunction to get them out of the goddamn building,'' said Stephen D'Angelo, the officers' attorney. ``They're really concerned about their health.''

According to the suit, officers stationed at Union Square came down with scabies as far back as 1986. Since then, the building has spawned an epidemic of asthma and other respiratory ailments among police and 911 dispatchers, according to the suit.



Mayor Joe Curtatone said he has been working for months to get police out of the Washington Streetstation. ``But even if I found a place tomorrow (to relocate police), it would take months, maybe even a year to retrofit,'' he insisted.

Last month the city advertised for a place to move the station. But only one local property owner on Dane Street responded to the advertisement, and Curtatone said it could take the city until the end of the year to determine if it can afford to move into the building.

The mayor said it could also take millions of dollars to build jail cells and a 911 call center at the Dane Street location. The city also is exploring the construction of a new police station.

The lawsuit claims rare diseases, such as sarcoidosis, have cropped up among three police officers because of damp conditions at the station.

``The mayor has said we're going to get them out of there,'' D'Angelo said. ``They're still in the building. The kinds of illnesses they're coming down with are pretty extraordinary.''

 

[sdb29]

Funny thing about this stuff-

While we were at our old HQ people that worked in certain divisions (Detectives, ID, Planning & Training) came down with cancers at a higher rate than people who either worked in other areas like Patrol, where you're out of the building most of the time.

We all worked for years under these conditions, and no one thought there was anything wrong with this.

They finally moved us out of there and into a renovated supermarket (a whole 'nother story).

They tore the old HQ down to build a bank. When they did the construction crew who did the interior demolition all wore Haz-Mat suits.

Remember people- to the powers that be you are a disposable commodity, like ammunition or gasoline or cars. Do what you gotta do to take care of yourselves.

 

[kwflatbed]

The Someville Police station in Union Square has
always had a strange odor in it like dampness
gives.
I hope that thier lawsuit can do something about it.

 

[frapmpd24]

The selectman and town manager have publically referred to our station as "the towns dumpester". Every department in town has stuff stored in ours, which is the basement of the town hall. And that is not even tackling the air quality (no windows that open) and the building code violations. And now they want to make a combined police/fire public safety buliding...so we can suck in the exhuast from the fire trucks while booking some prisoner with God knows what disease.

They're out to get us! I like the idea of considering the station's condition "criminal". Time to file some complaints on the fancy statement of fact sheets... A&B on a public employee and counts for each employee that works there. :sb: