By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
William Sanborn is on the same team as the police. He knows right from wrong, and good from bad.
Saturday morning, Will, who is 5 years old, got to see close up what his “teammates” — the Princeton Police Department — actually do.
Dressed in his own police “uniform,” Will and his grandfather, Owen Leach, were treated to a tour of the Police Department’s headquarters on Valley Road at the Princeton Police Department’s open house.
Mr. Leach explained that Will is “very interested” in the police. Since his grandson was 3 years old, he could tell the difference between “good and bad. He’s on the same team as the police,” Mr. Leach said.
In fact, when Mr. Leach told Will that one of the presidential candidates might have done something bad, Will responded, “Don’t worry, Grandpa. I’ll get my (police) uniform.”
Meanwhile, checking out Will’s uniform, which was complete with a child-sized radio, badge and cap, police Sgt. Fred Williams noted Will’s badge number — 1088.
“You must come from a big Police Department,” Sgt. Williams said. Will nodded his head.
Sgt. Williams showed Will the microphone on his shoulder. “I can talk into my microphone and it comes out on the radio on my belt,” he said, demonstrating it for Will.
Moving over to the Detective Bureau, Sgt. Christopher Tash, who joined the tour, told Will that “this is where we interview the bad guys, or someone good whose stuff got stolen.” The interviews are videotaped, he said, pointing to the equipment on the wall.
“What do you think?” Sgt. Tash said.
“Cool,” Will responded.
Down the hall in the Communications Room, Sgt. Tash said that when someone is in trouble, this is where they call for the Police Department. Sgt. Tash pointed out the video screens in the Communications Room. There are cameras which cover the Spring Street parking garage and the areas around the municipal building.
There are two dispatchers on duty at all times, plus a third dispatcher during the daytime.
“You need two dispatchers because it gets busy,” Sgt. Tash said. “You have to answer the phone, talk to the officers and handle walk-ins (citizens who need a police officer’s help). If there is an accident, you might get five or six calls about it.”
Next stop on the tour — the sally port, which is where police cars enter the Police Department when an officer is bringing in someone. There is a door that opens to allow the police car to drive in, and then closes. It provides a confined area for the police officer and the person being brought in to police headquarters.
Saturday morning, one of the Police Department’s motorcycles was parked in the sally port. Inside a black suitcase-like container on the back of the motorcycle, there is a camera, a computer and “everything that a patrol car has,” Sgt. Tash said.
From the sally port, the police officer may escort someone to the booking room. There is a long metal table with several stools, and a set of handcuffs attached to a bar. One of the handcuffs is attached to the person who was brought into the booking room. A computer can provide a match of the person’s fingerprints, if it is on file.
Nearby is the cellblock — two jail cells for males and one for females, plus a larger “group” cell. Each cell has a metal toilet and a metal sink, and a metal shelf with a rubber-encased mattress on it that serves as a bed. Inside, there is a camera and a microphone to keep tabs on the prisoners. A check of the prisoners is conducted every 30 minutes.
“Another reason not to come to jail — the bed is not comfortable,” Sgt. Williams said. Asked whether the jail is ever full or how active it is, Sgt. Williams said “business picks up” on the weekend and when the Princeton University students return to campus from break.
But by far the most popular part of the tour for many visitors Saturday morning was K-9 Harris — the Police Department’s explosives-sniffing and all-around patrol dog. Harris, who weighs about 65 pounds, is a Czech shepherd, or a variation of the German shepherd.
“When there is a crowd or a fight and the dog comes out, the crowd calms down right away,” said Sgt. Matthew Solovay, who is Harris’s handler. The dog lives with the officer and his family at home.
Sgt. Solovay picked up the dog and swung him around. Harris was holding a cloth-covered bar in his mouth, but when Sgt. Solovay put the dog down and commanded him to drop it, Harris did so immediately.
And then, wrapping up the tour, visitors were treated to something that just about every police officer likes — donuts!
