Police Department Architectural Design
Police Department Architectural Design 101
Whether planning a new police/sheriff station or updating an existing one, the first decisions to be made involve developing effective solutions for handling prisoners. This question is typically answered during building and site circulation programming. Whether the facility is a headquarters or sub-station, the critical nature of circulation patterns impacts the entire program.
Prisoner Transfer
The Sally Port, a drive-through or back-in style garage, should allow a safe and expeditious transfer of individuals from a police vehicle to a holding cell. The transfer and observation of prisoners affects the entire building, indicating a critical relationship between the holding cells and Sally Port. Some departments utilize only electronic monitoring systems, so the holding areas can be located anywhere near or adjacent to the sally port. If sworn or civilian staff members monitor prisoners, the placement of these two areas becomes much more important.
In the case of the Grand Blanc Police Headquarters, dispatchers are assigned to monitor prisoners while also acting as receptionist and records keeper. The dispatcher had to be located in plain view of the holding cells as well as the front door. However, the township requested that holding areas not be readily visible to visitors standing at the reception counter. Working closely with staff at Grand Blanc allowed us great success in achieving these specific goals.