Welcome to the 2025 Officer Station Design Awards

For the sixth 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 21 entries, among four categories, submitted by 18 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.

The judging panel included Utah, Police Chief Richard Ferguson Draper, Retired Orlando Police Department Rangemaster  Eric Clapsaddle, Ian Reeves, AIA, and Sami Gerwick, RA, with Architects Design Group, Eric Pros, AIA, with DS Architecture and J.P. Hurd Public with H.J. High Construction. The judges reviewed each portfolio and selected their top choices. Like in past years, the nominated facilities are judged against the criteria and not the other facilities within the categories of Public Safety Centers, LE Facilities I, LE Facilities II and LE Facilities III. Because of this, each category can have multiple award winners in a single level. For example, there are only two Gold Award winners in total, but there also are eight Silver Award winners across the four categories. The OFFICER Media Group would like to thank all of the judges for their hard work and assistance in this year’s OFFICER Station Design Awards.

The Public Safety Centers category, which includes 911 dispatch centers, emergency operations centers or law enforcement facilities or combined with other agencies or organizations such as fire departments or local government offices, saw the most submissions with seven entries in this year’s program. Silverton Civic Center in Oregon, which is 25,835 sq. ft. and opened in July 2024, received considerably high marks from the judges and was picked of the Gold Award winner. The project — led by Mackenzie - houses Silverton's City Hall, Council Chambers, Court, Emergency Operations Center and the Police Department. The facility was constructed as a community gathering space with an adjacent park and serves as a gateway to Silverton's downtown.

In the LE Facilities I category, which includes facilities of more than 50,000 sq.-ft. staffing law enforcement personnel. The Mansfield Police Department in Texas, submitted by BRW Architects, was awarded Silver in this category. The 60,545-sq. ft. facility, which opened its doors in October 2024, was designed for both current operations and long-term growth.

LE Facilities II category had the second-most submissions with six. The category includes facilities with less than 50,000-sq. ft. The Downers Grove Police Department in Illinois, submitted by FGM Architects, received the Silver Award for its focus on training, including a secure firing range, fitness center and defense tactics training room.

In the LE Facilities III category for facilities with less than 25,000 sq. ft., the Avondale Police Detention, Substation & K9 Training in Arizona, which was submitted by Perlman Architects, was awarded the Gold Award for its ability to combine three different needs of the department. The facility, which was completed in October 2024, also supports operations with secure staff parking, a public entry, public parking, an emergency backup generator and a drive-thru sally port.                

While reviewing this year’s award winners, make sure to take the 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.