Carmel’s police station remains outdated while opponents argue over expansion.

Within the next two weeks the HBO production Big Little Lies is set to film scenes at the Carmel police station, mostly because of the beautiful views facing away from the building toward the Santa Lucia Mountains. But it would make a better set for The Shining, especially a dark downstairs hallway that leads to the emergency operations center, which some call “the dungeon.” The upstairs looks straight out of the TV show Adam-12, which aired in 1968, one year after the Carmel station was dedicated.

The station may have looked ready for its closeup 50 years ago, but in recent years the signs of decay have accelerated: The building has been plagued by leaking and flooding, and two years ago fluorescent light fixtures started spontaneously combusting, igniting sparks and sending smoke into offices.

The wiring is getting fixed and Police Chief Paul Tomasi says the station is not in danger of burning down. The Carmel City Council added $400,000 to the 2018-19 Capital Improvement Budget on May 1 to ensure all the building’s systems are functioning well. In the meantime, the station remains woefully inadequate by modern policing standards. Especially problematic is the dispatch center, which hasn’t changed, other than adding in computer screens. Tomasi says it needs an up-to-date console of screens and communication equipment and to allow for an adjustable desk for dispatchers suffering neck and back issues. He acknowledges the facility hampers his ability to recruit new staff coming from more modern accommodations.

Since becoming chief on Jan. 1, 2017, Tomasi has advocated for renovating the dispatch center and adding 966 square feet for a secure evidence room. (An office was converted years ago to hold evidence, but it’s not climate-controlled.) The estimate for the project was $750,000, an amount the council approved in May 2017. A few months later Mayor Steve Dallas and Councilmember Carolyn Hardy pushed for more space, including possible offices for Public Works, increasing the expansion to 2,500 square feet and bringing the estimate to $1.5 million. On April 3, the council also approved increasing the architectural expenses to almost $200,000, over the objections of Councilmember Bobby Richards.

“I am and have been completely supportive of furnishing our first responders with state – of-the-art and safe equipment,” Richards says. But he opposes the additional cost of the new plans, along with the placement of the additions. He also questions whether the extra space is needed: “I don’t even know how it morphed into this big project when all the chief wanted was an evidence room and a dispatch center.”