Sudbury police search for new storage space after mould contaminates former facility

Greater Sudbury Police Services is looking for a new storage space for largeitems seized during investigations, after the decommissioning of the facility the force was using.

Items stored there included computers,furniture, radios, large equipment, batteries, electronics, vehicle parts and other seized evidence and property, says SharonBaiden, the chief administrative officer for the Sudbury Police services board.

Mould was discovered in the 20,000 square-foot Falconbridge Arena, in Oct. 2015, leading to the destruction of many of the items that had been stored there.

"Any of the items could have been cleaned but in doing the cost benefit analysis some of them are simply going to be disposed of. We wouldn't invest in cleaning them. Some of the property items that are being returned, they are fully cleaned and remediated to turn back to the rightful owner," she said.

Police are now searching for a new storage space, which would have some of the same features as the arena, said Baiden.

"We liked that building [the arena] because we could drive cars into it, large items that we seized, it was a good, safe place that it could be stored and it was an actual confidential storage that we had."

Police have requested funding from the city for a new storage area for the largeritems, but that budget is yet to be approved.

Once police do secure a new storage space, its location will also remain confidential, said Baiden.