Franklin Police Department showcasing public safety features at new headquarters

FRANKLIN, Ky. (WBKO) - With public health and safety at the forefront of their mission, the Franklin Police Department has installed some important features at their new headquarters building at 501 W Madison St.

The station itself was constructed with public safety in mind and contains a storm shelter that can accommodate 240 residents. However, it is the new outdoor features they would like to make the public aware of.

One of those features is a Narcan dispenser at the front door of the station.

Partnering with the Barren River Health District, the department keeps two Naloxone (Narcan) boxes in the dispenser at all times. Each box contains two kits and is restocked immediately.

“If you do have an exposure, utilize that kit, follow the instructions that’s pretty easy to follow,” said Roger Solomon, Chief of Police.

The new police station is also the site of the city’s third electric vehicle charging station. Use of the charging station is free and they will be in operation between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. daily.

“Our thing is being progressive as a community and as a police department,” Solomon said. “There’s kind of a big push nationwide, but if you have them, here is a safe place to charge your car.”

In front of the station, residents will find special parking spaces dedicated to custodial parent drop-off/pickup and e-commerce transactions. These spaces will be monitored 24/7 by police department personnel.

“Custodial drop-offs and stuff are a lot of times contentious. The worst thing that you want is the child to feel unsafe or parents bickering and arguing,” Solomon said. “It would be less likely to happen if you’re out here in front of the police station.”

With the popularity of online purchases from individuals and vendors, the e-commerce spot also provides safety and consumer protection.

“You don’t want people going to unsafe places to pick up items or stuff so if you can pick them up here it would be a whole lot safer,” he said.

Officers with the department are also offering periodic self-defense classes for residents.

“We want to give them not only some self-defense tips but also some self-awareness, things that they can learn, utilize should they be attacked out there, become victims of a potential crime,” Solomon said.

Overall, these additions to the city are intended to create a stronger and safer community.

“Public safety is number one, it’s the backbone of every community so obviously you want public safety to be paramount so we put these features out there not only to draw people up here but also to utilize those safety features,” Solomon said.