The Decatur City Council is struggling to come up with a solution for the space needs of the police department.

The council may need to spend more time discussing what it wants the police department to look like in the future.

To date, there appears to be four options. One option, which is favored by police officials and city staff, would relocate the department to the Millikin Bank building. Macon County officials have said it would be better for the taxpayers if the police department remains in the Law Enforcement Center with the sheriff's office. A third option has been proposed by developer Roy Mosser to build a new facility for the police just west of the center. The fourth option is nebulous, but could involve using some of the available land around the center - perhaps Franklin Mall - as a new facility or to relieve some of the overcrowding.

It's a fact that the situation in the police department isn't desirable. The department needs more room and a more convenient evidence storage area.

Police Chief Jim Anderson has said he favors the Millikin Bank building proposal, which appears to be a good enough reason for some council members. Other council members say that building is not a viable option and want to remove it from the discussion.

While the desires of the police department need to be taken into consideration, the council's job is to balance those desires with what's best for the taxpayers. It's also hard to logically understand why the department would favor a remodeled 95-year-old building over a new structure that could be built to the city's specifications and include new communications wiring and new heating and cooling equipment.

The council is struggling with this decision for several reasons, but primarily because no clear vision for the future of public safety in Decatur has been articulated.

Many residents of Decatur feel there is a public safety issue in Decatur. Outside of the city, the city has a reputation as a high-crime area. That makes it difficult to get new residents inside the city. The perception isn't totally accurate, but it's an issue.

Decatur police officers do an admirable job, and we're not here to criticize their effort or effectiveness. But the question has to be asked: Would the city be better served if there were more officers on the street? Anderson has said he doesn't think more police officers would affect the crime rate and went so far as to state there was no evidence that additional officers impact the crime rate.

Actually, a quick Web search on the issue reveals studies that support Anderson's claim and studies that say increasing the number of police officers does affect the crime rate.

What if more police officers would make the city safer? That would not only be better for residents, but would be a change in image that could be promoted to those outside the city. Isn't that possibility at least worth more discussion?

We also haven't heard any discussions on other potential public safety issues. For example, would it be better to have satellite offices instead of one police station, not only now but in the future? Is there a value, now or in the future, to being in the same building as the Macon County Sheriff's Office?

Many members of the council want to make a decision soon to begin the process of solving the department's space issue. That urgency is certainly understandable.

But this is a long-term decision and shouldn't be unnecessarily rushed. Deciding on a location for a new police station without discussion about future goals and ways to address public safety concerns would be foolhardy.