The idea of a shared police station between Dunkirk and Fredonia got revived Monday.

The issue came up at a Fredonia Board of Trustees meeting after Police Chief David Price said his department can’t get certified by the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services.

The accreditation process is “new, it’s borne out of police reform,” Price said. “They’re cherry-picking aspects of the accreditation and requiring us to certify that we do them to (Division of Criminal Justice Services) standards.”

He continued, “This phase, they targeted hiring practices, background investigations, use of force and misconduct reporting. That was kind of a rush to revise our current standards and practices, because (the state) is requiring us to do things and make sure we prove we do them the right way.”

Trustee David Bird asked why DCJS was withholding certification.

“Three are roadblocks within our practices I’d be willing to discuss with anybody… there’s physical roadblocks to us becoming accredited,” Price said. “We’re 95% of the way there, but the road blocks are monumental because they’re structural.”

“So we need to get you a new building,” Bird said. Price smiled. The Fredonia Police Department is currently located in a cramped, antiquated Village Hall basement.

The idea of Dunkirk and Fredonia police sharing space is not new. Local officials have considered it for many years, with nothing coming of it.

A committee of officials from Dunkirk and Fredonia studied the idea in the mid-2010s.