New security fence going up at SLT Police Department

To improve security at the South Lake Tahoe Police Department, a new security fence is being installed.

In the plans since 2014, the black metal fence with three rows of razor wire at the top should be completed by the beginning of July.

"This is a need we've had for a long time," SLTPD Lt. Brian Williams told South Tahoe Now. "We received support from the City Council and City Manager, and the fence has been a long held desire for this department."

The fence will surround the department's employee entrance as well as the prisoner entrance to the jail. There will be three electronic gates that will only open to those possessing a key card. One entrance from the Al Tahoe side, one from Johnson Blvd and the other in front of the government center courtyard.

Employees of the department may park inside the fenced area, or outside. Williams said the choice it theirs.

With the recent bomb scare at the government center, a pipe bomb left outside the probation office in Shingle Springs and the fact that people are walking through the area and even passing out in employee's cars, Williams said there have been credible threats to warrant the fence.

The cost of the fence is just under $360,000.