An effective police agency evolves to meet the ever-changing needs and demands of the community it serves. Unfortunately, many police agencies are housed in facilities that, while built for long-term service, have become inadequate for actual departmental functions.  Since most communities will only design and build a new police facility every 40-50 years, few police administrators and local architects know the challenge of planning, designing, and constructing a new police facility; a task that can be both frustrating and expensive if some basic guidelines are not followed.

This course is intended for police chiefs and their staff, as well as city management or staff members that may need a fuller understanding of the complexities of the process required to plan, design, and construct a modern police facility.

At the conclusion of the course, participants should be able to do the following:

• Discuss planning considerations for facility construction.
• Plan and budget for a new or redesigned police facility.
• Plan special design features such as security, jails, and communications.
• Apply principles of space allocation and traffic patterns.
• Understand the implications of sustainable (green) design principles for 24/365 essential service buildings.
• Develop effective client-architect relationships.
• Identify life span and maintenance considerations for a facility.