Although the Skokie Police Department has always earned high marks for service, a building analysis showed the department had outgrown the 27,000-square-foot-facility. It also revealed inadequate storage areas and systems to support a modern police force.
In 2010, a new police station was designed by SRBL Architects of Deerfield, IL, in effort to support the department’s goals for efficiency as well as promote environmental responsibility.
A top priority from the start was the department’s most valuable asset: its people. That drove the desire to pay particular attention to personal storage lockers, which every person at the police department describes as “home base.”
Bradford Systems, the local Spacesaver® Representative, designed a solution for the facility’s locker rooms in the form of 142 Spacesaver® FreeStyle™ personal storage lockers. The lockers are specifically engineered with a host of options and interchangeable features that allow users to easily customize them to their needs.
Rather than uniform and personal wardrobe storage lockers for the Tactical Intervention Unit (TIU), Bradford Systems fashioned 23 large lockers out of heavy duty four-post metal shelving, essentially creating large cubbies without doors for each team member. The storage solution keeps the gear readily accessible and organized and maintains a state of readiness, which TIU team members must move quickly.
Readiness is also critical for patrol and community service officers who bring their gear bags with them on each shift. Lockers were installed right outside the parking garage allowing for rapid response for the officers to store and retrieve their gear bags after each shift. Bradford Systems also installed three-tiered lockers inside the parking garage. The lockers hold specialized tools and equipment used in evidence collection, eliminating the need to walk into the building and back to get it.
Property and evidence storage was another major priority when designing the new facility. Spacesaver’s DSM™ pass-through evidence lockers, which are designed to secure the chain of custody during the critical short-term evidence storage period, were built into the wall that separates the evidence drop-off area from the property and evidence room.
In the past, long-term storage was a significant concern for Skokie Police Department since the old headquarters was out of space. Creating a mobile shelving system in the new property and evidence room eliminated wasted aisle space by creating “moving aisles.” Another mechanical-assist mobile system in the records storage area was installed to make the best use of available space and help improve organization.
In addition to helping the Skokie Police Department achieve optimal efficiency, the mobile systems at the new police station contributed to the architect’s goal of designing an environmentally friendly facility with a small footprint. The building efficiencies, along with a host of sustainability measures, has the station on track to receive LEED Gold Certification – exceeding the Village’s original goal.
Not only am I extremely satisfied, I’m impressed with the storage solution. It gets back to our ability to provide a quality level of service. It’s what we’re here for. Maintaining the chain of custody is paramount in the prosecution of criminal cases. We wanted to go as high tech as we reasonably could go at the new facility for evidence storage. – Police Chief Silverberg