Downers Grove Police Department
This facility received the Law Enforcement Facilities II Silver Award in the 2025 Officer Station Design Awards.
Official Project Name: Downers Grove Police Department
Project City/State: Downers Grove, IL
Date Completed: October 1, 2024
Chief/Director: Chief of Police Michael DeVries
Police Portion Project Area (sq. ft.): 32,000
Police Portion Total Cost: $20,497,659.52
Cost Per Square Foot: $640.55
Architect/Firm Name: FGM Architects
City/State: Westchester, IL
Phone: (630) 574-8300
Website: fgmarchitects.com
Design Team: Brian Meade, AIA, LEED AP, Principal in Charge; David Yandel, AIA, LEED AP, Project Manager; George Manis; Brian Lipski, LEED AP BD+C; Raegan Porter, NCIDQ, LEED AP, Interior Designer; Anna Betts, IIDA, Interior Designer
Project Description
The Downers Grove Police Department (DGPD) is seamlessly integrated into the new Downers Grove Civic Center (DGCC), an 81,180 sf combined facility that also houses Village Hall and school administrative services. The center of civic life for this suburban Chicagoland community, DGCC occupies a transformed 6.5 acre site that previously housed the Village Hall and Police Department in separate, outmoded facilities.
The police department’s new home is game-changing. The previous standalone police facility was too small with limited meeting, training, health and amenity spaces. Today, the DGPD has 32,000 sf of dedicated, secure space and access to over 20,000 sf of amenity and meeting spaces shared with other DGCC occupants. The shared spaces enhance a collegial culture for all personnel while maintaining secure separation between critical police functions and other spaces using controlled access points.
The DGPD’s dedicated public entrance opens to a welcoming lobby that offers comfortable seating, citizen report rooms and ballistic-rated customer service windows. The ground level also includes a two-bay sally port and short-term detention cells. An indoor parking garage provides a secure, climate-controlled environment for police vehicles. The police patrol areas are designed to facilitate efficient officer workflow from the roll call room to the duty locker space and into the garage. A forensics lab is found on the ground level as well as the evidence storage area, accessible from within the building and from the garage.
The basement level houses a secure firing range with adjacent locker rooms. Shared spaces include a fitness center and defense tactics training room, also used for yoga.
Dedicated space for police administration and investigations (including interview and meeting rooms) is located on the second floor, which also features a centrally located, shared staff hub with meeting rooms, break areas, a kitchen, wellness room and outdoor green deck.