Illinois State Police to use Lincoln-Way North site for officer testing

The Lincoln-Way Community High School District 210 Board on Feb. 17 approved an agreement with the Illinois State Police for the agency to use its former north campus in Frankfort for testing.

The ISP wants to use the campus for physical fitness testing and to administer the written exam for its trooper applicants, according to the intergovernmental agreement. The campus is located at 19900 South Harlem Ave.

The agreement was for a short term from Feb. 18 to April 11, though the two sides may agree to renew the terms.

State police will use at least four classrooms in the building, the indoor fieldhouse and the surrounding track.

State Sen. Michael Hastings recently argued for the former Lincoln-Way North High School building to be used by state police for officer training to alleviate the shortage of officers.

“As a proud supporter of our police officers, I am honored to be able to hopefully provide this new location for the Illinois State Police officers to conduct their training,” Hastings said in a statement. “The state needs to enter into an agreement to bring this training facility to our region so we can help address the shortage of state police officers.”

This month, Hastings filed a bill which would appropriate $122.5 million from the Build Illinois Bond Fund to the state police to acquire and refurbish the Lincoln-Way North property as a training facility.

District 210 opted to close its north campus after the 2015-2016 school year in order to reduce its deficit. The district has since worked to improve its fiscal standing after being placed on the state’s “financial watch” list between 2015 and 2017.

Last year, District 210 reached the level of “financial recognition” as designated by the Illinois State Board of Education, in part because of its efforts to restore its fund reserves.