1. How old is the current police station?

The current police station is 30-years-old. It was originally designed as a combined Village Hall and Police Station in 1992.  In 2002, the department expanded operations taking over the entire building after Village Hall operations moved into the new Village Hall building. When the police department moved into the entire building, it was evident that the space was insufficient to meet the needs of the department.

2. Was there a space needs study?

Yes.  The first was in 2005. The Village contracted architects to complete a space needs analysis of the three structures essential for Village operations: the Village Hall, Public Works building, and the Police Station.  The study provided space needs for the Police Station based on the department’s size and operations at the time. The recommendations included renovation and building expansion projects for five (5) and ten (10) years into the future that never materialized. Since the 2005 study, policing itself and the department’s needs, operations and size along with the community have changed greatly and the original design of the station is not optimal for services today is critically deficient in several areas.

In 2019, architects again were asked to complete another space needs analysis.  Architects provided highlights of the new space needs program to the Village Board at the Board of Trustees meeting on August 22, 2019.

In 2022, the Village was able to begin to move towards the direction of a new police facility.

3. Why do we need a new police station?

The current building that serves as a department is  30-year-old facility.  It has been revamped to its maximum potential. The police station has numerous deficiencies identified by architects in the 2019 space needs analysis.

To summarize, the space needs assessment finds that 33,704 sq. ft. – 35,704 sq. ft. of space is necessary for the police department to operate effectively. The existing areas used by the police department is only 17,642 sq. ft. Therefore, the department is currently operating with a 16,062 sq. ft. deficit.

Approximately doubling the square footage of the building will provide the optimum amount of space for the department. Many of the critical building deficiencies have a direct correlation with the amount of space required. In addition to lack of space, there are functionality issues that are of major concern. 

An overview of space and functionality issues include:

o Site and Parking Issues: Issues include parking security, insufficient parking for the community, visitors, and employees, parking lot drives creating “cut-throughs” into the neighborhood, and confusion on which entries to use for nighttime reception.

o Holding Facilities: The holding facilities are very outdated and pose safety and security issues for staff and detainees. 

o Evidence Processing and Storage: Legal and technological changes require additional space

o Locker rooms: Thee amount of gear issued to police officers has increased since the building was constructed. Lockers must now store a multitude of items, including training manuals, bulletproof vests, specialized protective equipment, and weapons. This has necessitated a need for larger lockers. There are no toilet facilities within the locker rooms.

o Patrol: The patrol division is located on the lower level and is isolated from administration, investigations, and records divisions. Officer workspaces are very small and areas such as report writing rooms to discuss issues with visitors privately are non-existent.
 
o Investigations: The investigations division is isolated from the patrol division. These two divisions often have to work closely together, therefore, the physical distance separating them is a hindrance. The workstations are very small and located too close together. Having simultaneous conversations on the telephone is problematic as is a private meeting between the sergeant and an investigator. Also, there are no provisions for computer forensics workspace. 

o Records: The Records Clerk workstations are very small for the report work they do daily. Also, as the primary receptionists for the building, they cannot see the entire public lobby which is a security risk. 

o Community Relations: Community relations works with outreach, education, social media, and public information. This is one of the fastest growing initiatives in policing and will likely continue in the future. The police department relocated community relations into the records supervisor’s office, but additional growth in the future needs to be anticipated. More storage is needed to hold items used for events and education.

o Social Services: The social services office is located in a very public location just off the main lobby, which is not ideal for privacy when working with victims or persons in need of counseling. 

o Training: The amount of mandatory training required of police officers is increasing. For example, the Illinois Police and Community Relations Act, Public Act 099-0352, has recently been amended to require specific training on an annual, bi-annual and tri-annual basis and includes annual use of force and scenario-based training. Training spaces need to provide greater flexibility for different types of training programs, including classroom, defensive tactics, and scenario-based training. 

o Administration: The administration division is isolated from patrol and dedicated space should be provided for storage of sensitive information.

o Safety and security: The importance of building safety and security has greatly increased, especially with recent active shooter incidents occurring within public buildings. Modern police stations are designed with multiple levels of security. The overall security needs to be improved.

o Employee expectations: With new generations of employees comes increased expectations of job amenities. Spaces such as wellness, breakrooms, and quiet rooms have put the police department behind when recruiting new employees. 

o Accessibility requirements: Since the existing building was remodeled, laws governing accessibility requirements have since been updated, including the Illinois Accessibility Code and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The changes to the laws have required more space for persons with disabilities. 

Correcting these deficiencies will require additional space and a reorganization of the police station. 

4. Why can’t we just renovate the current police station?

During the course of this study, it became clear that the existing building is working against the police department. Not only is the building too small, but the design of the building is negatively affecting the police department’s operations.

The existing building footprint does not allow for increased parking and is not a sustainable option for current use or future police department growth. The existing space and design do not meet the needs of modern policing today and will not meet future needs of police department operations. Renovations will not address the lack of parking on the site.

5. How much will a new police station cost?

Camosy Construction, the Construction Manager at Risk, set a Guaranteed Maximum Price for total construction cost for the project at $23,036,508 with a total project cost arriving at $26,585,167. Click HERE for the Committee of the Whole agenda, March 26, 2024 for further and detailed information.      

6. How will the Village fund a new police station?

In 2022, the Village created the Police Facility Fund to the annual budget which was established from three sources.  Two are transfers in from the General Fund. Investments from the Police Pension Fund did well in FY22 resulting in a reduced requirement for the Pension Fund in FY23. 

This savings, based on FY22’s payment, in the amount of $199,065 is being transferred. In a similar manner, the Village’s required payment to the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF) was also reduced. This $114,695 will also be transferred from the General Fund. Finally, in early November the Village Board approved a “Penny per Push” Amusement Tax on video gaming terminals in the Village. Staff estimates this tax will generate $150,000 for the Police Facility Fund. Using all of these revenues will help to reduce the potential property tax costs when the facility is constructed.

7. What are we going to do with the old building?

Proposals for the vacated facilities will be sought by the Village. Updating and improving parks and recreation infrastructure to make the facilities more comprehensive and attract more regional users is a key goal within the Village’s Strategic Plan. Options to reuse the police facility for recreational purposes will be explored. 

8. Where will the new police station be located?

The existing police station is in a residential neighborhood which is not ideal due to potential for high speed emergency response and release of detainees from the station. During major storm events, flood maps show how the police station becomes isolated from many parts of the Village making policing services more difficult. The department is pursuing a stand-alone facility on the site of the Village Hall, located at 600 Harvest Gate. 

This option will bring together the Village Hall and Police Department services in one location, which enhances staff efficiency, safety, and service to the community. The location of the Police Station will be better suited for access to all parts of the village than in its current location. 

9. When is construction scheduled to start?

Groundbreaking will occur April 19th, 2024 and is anticipated to be done in 18 months. 

10. Will the Veterans Memorial be preserved?

The Veterans Memorial will need to be relocated, but it will remain on the Village Hall campus. There will be no change to the design of the memorial, just the location on the property. It will be relocated closer to the roadway, which should provide additional visibility for passers-by. We will exercise due care in preserving the existing bricks to ensure they are transferred safely. After the relocation, the Veterans Memorial will remain accessible as a commemorative gathering space to honor those who served. 

11. Are there any safety concerns regarding the new facility being located closely to Lincoln Prairie Elementary School?

In situations where a suspect is in custody for a minor offense there will be a door on the east side of the building (on the Costco side) for release. In terms of the holding cells, the department does not hold suspects for an extended period. Minor offenses are either processed on scene or released in a very short period of time.  Suspects charged with more serious offenses, i.e. felonies, are often transported to the McHenry County Jail in Woodstock after processing.  To hopefully further provide some assurance, the current police facility at 1115 Crystal Lake Road has been located across the street from the Village pre-school academy for several years.  

12. Won't this cause more traffic, especially during school bell times? 

All police and personal vehicles will have a dedicated entrance/exit on the southeast side of the new building, along Village Hall Drive.  Additionally, there will be dedicated parking lots for all police vehicles and visitors. The Police Department will not be using the Village Hall for any parking needs.  The shift times for patrol officers are outside of school hours, from 5am – 5pm or 5pm – 5am. One of our top priorities in undertaking this project is to ensure we are good neighbors to the residents around the Village campus.  The location of the new facility closer to Village Hall Drive and Costco was thoughtful so that the police facility would not impact Village Hall operations and our neighbors to the north.  

13. How can I stay informed on the progress of the construction?

We would like our community to be well informed of the construction plan and phases as construction may temporarily cause additional truck traffic, noise, or dust during building.

To better assist community members, we encourage individuals to follow us on social media for updates. Community members may also visit our website at https://bit.ly/PDBuild for construction updates. 

Lastly, the community may sign up for Nixle Emergency Text Messaging.  Community update messages may be sent out as necessary for those Nixle subscribers who are signed up to receive non-emergency messages. 

We sincerely appreciate the patience and understanding of our residents, businesses and community during this project. We are extremely excited for this huge milestone for the Village and are looking forward to sharing its progress along the way!

14. I have additional questions. Who do I contact for more information?

We value the input of the residents we serve, which is critical for formulating the long-term capital improvement plans for our public safety building. 

If you have any further questions, comment or concerns, please email us at communityrelations@lith.org or call 847-960-7561.  Thank you!