For the fifth year, OFFICER Magazine presents the Officer Station Design Awards, showcasing law enforcement and public safety facilities from across the country. Featured in this issue are 13 entries, among four categories, submitted by 10 architectural firms specializing in public safety facilities. The goal of the OSDA is to help police chiefs, sheriffs, public safety directors and municipal leaders view the trends and innovations in new facilities. The nominees featured in this program are spread throughout the country. Prices vary depending on the region, and styles and design are often based on budget and location.
This article appeared in the November/December issue of OFFICER Magazine. Click Here to subscribe to OFFICER Magazine.
The judging panel included Major Todd Johnson, Lt. Meg Hasty and Lt. Chris Ziermann of the Clearwater Police Department in Florida, along with Amy Weber Bradlow, AIA and Emmet Van Aken, AIA with the architecture firm Harvard Jolly | PBK and Chris Brown with Ajax Building Company. The judging was held at the City of Clearwater Police Department District 3 Operations & Training Center, which opened last year. The judges reviewed each portfolio and selected their top choices.
In Law Enforcement Facilities I, which includes facilities with more than 50,000 square feet, the Lenexa Justice Center, which totaled 118,500 sq. ft. and cost $61M to build, took the Gold award. The project was a joint venture by FINKLE + WILLIAMS Architecture, Roth Sheppard Architects and TCA Architecture.
“It’s a super attractive building. The finishes are great. It has natural light, natural finishes and natural textures,” Brown said. “I really liked the design of the parking lot. It really funnels the entrances. Just by the shape of it, you know where you’re going.”
This year saw an increase in submissions in the Law Enforcement Facilities II category, which covers facilities 25,000 to 50,000 square feet. There were six facilities, accounting for almost half the total submissions.
The Celina Police Headquarters in Texas was popular with the judges and was awarded Gold. The 38,412 sq. ft. facility was completed this July and was submitted by Brinkley Sargent Wiginton Architects. The judges agreed that building didn’t remind them of a traditional station. Some mentioned it looked more like a college campus. Johnson said the lobby reminded him of a ski lodge, while Ziermann and Bradlow compared it to a local brewery.
Hasty shared that her initial reaction was “Wow,” and that while patrol officers shouldn’t want to spend all day at the station, it could serve as a tool to increase staffing. “I loved this one,” she said. “I thought that from the view of recruitment and retention, if you bring somebody in here to show them around, it’s somewhere that seems inviting and comfortable. It feels homey. It’s easier to bring people into somewhere that feels comfortable.”
In the Law Enforcement Facilities III and Public Safety Centers categories, there were several expansion and renovation projects. The City of Harvard Police Department and City Hall submitted by Dewberry in Law Enforcement Facilities III and the Gladstone Police & City Hall submitted by Hoefer Welker and the Knoxville Public Safety Campus submitted by Architects Design Group—both in the Public Safety Centers category—are all good examples of updating and expanding on a preexisting structure.
“It’s difficult blending older, outdated buildings when you really you don’t have the dollars,” Van Aken said about the Knoxville facility. “I can understand and appreciate the architecture blend that they did here.”
Take time to look over these projects and consider what worked and how those features can be incorporated into your future facility. While they were ranked as part of the OSDA, they are all winners for their law enforcement agencies and communities. Years of planning and hard work went into these facilities, helping add to the sense of pride for both the officers and residents.
Paul Peluso | Editor
Paul Peluso is the Managing Editor of OFFICER Magazine and has been with the Officer Media Group since 2006. He began as an Associate Editor, writing and editing content for Officer.com. Previously, Paul worked as a reporter for several newspapers in the suburbs of Baltimore, MD.
