Yorkville police moving headquarters into new state-of-the-art facility

YORKVILLE – The Yorkville Police Department is moving into a brand-new, state-of-the-art headquarters with plenty of room to accommodate future growth.

Along with the rest of the city government, the police department’s 33 sworn officers are saying goodbye to the overcrowded building at 800 Game Farm Road and setting up shop at the newly remodeled office structure at 651 Prairie Pointe Drive.

“For years, our officers have been making do,” police Chief Jim Jensen said. “This building will provide them with the professionalism they need.” It also will provide the department’s Records Division and the visiting public with a more professional atmosphere.

Upon entering the building, which is flooded with natural light, visitors will immediately notice the police department’s reception desk, protected by bulletproof glass that features a secure pass-through chamber for the transfer of packages or documents.

The police department occupies most of the first floor of the three-story, 44,000-square-foot building and a large part of the second floor, as well.

Behind the glass, two full-time and two part-time records clerks have a large area in which to work, backed by a massive facility for the storage and retrieval of documents.

Farther inside the building is the patrol officers’ roll call squad room for daily briefings, group lunches and other team-building activities.

Deep inside the building are the department’s armory, evidence laboratory and evidence storage vault, with security technology and protocols designed to ensure safety and protect the chain of custody for evidence.

On the second floor is the command and control center for the department, with offices for Jensen and the department’s top brass, sergeants and detectives.

There are interview rooms, men’s and women’s locker rooms, an emergency operations center and a large area for conducting major investigations.

Modular tables that can be arranged to suit will provide police officers with plenty of flexibility, Jensen said.

On a tour of the building, Jensen repeatedly pointed to offices that will not immediately be occupied, providing the department with space to expand within its new headquarters as Yorkville continues to grow.

One of the most impressive features of the new police headquarters is the weight room. A Yorkville resident made an anonymous donation of $20,000 to equip the large room with weights and other sophisticated exercise and training gear, Jensen said.

While the transfer to the new facility has already begun, the big moving day for the police and city offices will be April 20, with the building to be open to the public starting April 23.