Police HQ flood leaves more than $1M in damage, but not losing evidence ‘a win for us,’ senior officer says

A Valentine’s Day flood inside the Winnipeg Police Service headquarters damaged the room where evidence is stored and left what is likely to exceed $1 million in repairs and restoration.

But Supt. George Labossiere said it could have been worse.

“No evidence was lost and that’s a win for us,” Labossiere said Thursday.

Civic spokesman David Driedger said the city is continuing to work with its insurance provider to completely assess the damages.

“While a dollar figure has yet to be finalized, it’s anticipated that damage will exceed $1 million,” Driedger said.

A flood during construction to convert the former Canada Post facility into police headquarters in 2014 left $4 million in repair costs.

Several areas in the office tower part of the police headquarters complex at 266 Graham Ave. — including a second floor skywalk — were damaged when water began gushing down a stairwell at about 6 p.m.

Several centimetres of standing water left on both the main level and basement of the building destroyed furniture, flooring and drywall in several areas of police headquarters and the Canada Post outlet.

“No evidence was lost and that’s a win for us.”

Four businesses in the building’s second floor skywalk, including an optometrist, Subway restaurant and Pizzanne’s U-Bake Pizza, were also damaged, but were able to reopen a few days later.

Police say emergency water valves were opened in a stairwell. A 51-year-old man and a 36-year-old woman are facing several charges of mischief over $5,000. The pair were released on undertakings to appear in court at a future date.

Labossiere said most of the water that seeped into the evidence room, located in the basement of the facility, leaked through the ceiling.

“This large section of our building contains more than 400,000 police exhibits,” he said, noting it includes everything from statements to power tools to personal property.

“There was two to three inches of water pooled in areas, but everything is up on shelves or on pallets so nothing was damaged from the floor… the shelves contain paper files, including statements, and they got damp.”

Cardboard boxes containing evidence had to be thrown out, but the evidence inside was protected.

“The evidence was in Ziploc bags so, when the boxes became damaged, we threw them out and repackaged the evidence in new boxes,” he said.

Labossiere said workers were also able to dry paper containing statements from accused. He said even if they had been destroyed, they are scanned when created so there is a digital backup version.

“Some would argue why isn’t (the evidence room) on the fifth floor, but there is an element of risk anywhere,” he said.

Kelly Dehn, the police service’s director of public affairs, said the extent of damage to his department on the main floor forced a temporary move to a space elsewhere in the facility. He said it could be weeks or months before a return.

“It’s anticipated that damage will exceed $1 million.”

“There was six to eight inches of water on our floor,” he said. “It sort of rolled in from the stairwell…. Major renovation work has to happen.”

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca