SARATOGA SPRINGS -- No more double-wide trailers for the Saratoga Springs Police Department. The police have moved into their new office at 1307 N. Commerce Drive, on the first floor below the city offices.

"It makes us better able to serve the public as City Hall becomes more of a one-stop place to conduct city business, etc.," said Chief Gary Hicken of the Saratoga Springs Police Department.

Although now a little farther north than the old trailers, Sgt. Eddy Christensen, Saratoga Springs police spokesman, said it is more centered for what is happening in the city. "In terms of business and the crossroads, it is much closer. Right now, it is just a good location."

The city bought the entire building earlier in the year when Alpine Pediatrics moved out of the first floor to a new facility a few blocks away. The city had owned the upper floor where much of the administrative staff worked.

"The price of the bottom half of the building and the remaining property of about two-thirds of an acre was $1,487,500," said Ken Leetham, Saratoga Springs city manager.

Hicken said renovations for the station came to about $52,000, with a little additional expense in new furniture and equipment.

"There was no cost to the citizens or added taxes as the project was paid for by the Public Safety Impact Fees Fund," Hicken said.

"Those funds have been collected over the past few years as part of building permits and other new construction fees. Those funds cannot be used for salaries or other personnel costs. They can only be used to purchase or to construct Public Safety facilities and the needed permanent equipment for those facilities."

Now all law enforcement services offered by the city -- such as city code enforcement, investigations, complaints and training -- are located in the city office center. This helps to save to the city money.

Christensen and Hicken said that another cost savings comes in evidence storage.

"We now have our own evidence room and it saves us $8,000 a year," Hicken said. "We paid the county to house our evidence as we had no room in the trailer."

Christensen added that officers don't have to drive to Spanish Fork to drop off or pick up evidence at the jail either, saving both time and gas.

"We also save on transporting prisoners back and forth from court as we are now located below the courtroom and not halfway across town. There are other cost savings which are not easily identified in terms of hard dollars as they are the result of the new location.

"We will reduce the miles on our cars as we do not have to drive back and forth from City Hall to meet with or work together with other city personnel."

Hicken also explained it was a huge morale boost to the officers and staff, not to mention a more secure facility.

"You have the space, when it comes to doing your job," Christensen said. "You are not on top of each other; you are not sharing everything. We still share a lot, but we now have the space to meet our needs and the public's needs."

\Christensen explained that in the trailer, five officers shared one small office. Now officers still share, but with staggered shifts they are jockeying to see who gets to use the desk while in the station.

The Saratoga Springs Police Department has 17 sworn officers with four reserve officers, two code enforcement officers and six other support personnel.

The station is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., with 24/7 service available by calling (801) 766-6503 or 9-1-1.

The city hasn't finalized plans for what they will do with the trailer, but have discussed using it as a library services facility to assist the Utah County Book Mobile, or possibly additional office space for the public works division.