Wilmette has secured a $500,000 state grant to help fund construction of a “critically needed” new police station, Village Manager Michael Braiman said in a prepared statement.
The new building will replace the current station with a facility that meets current and future policing needs, Braiman said.
State Sen. Laura Fine, D-Glenview, helped get the grant placed in the state’s fiscal year 2026 budget, he said. The Village Board thanked Fine for the help at its Aug. 26 meeting.
“A new station is critical to meeting not only current and future public safety needs in our community, but will include important features such as a state-of-the-art digital forensics lab that can benefit police departments across our region,” Village President Senta Plunkett said.
Fine said the new station will use the most current environmental technology for “maximum sustainability.” The regional digital processing center will benefit all communities in Fine’s district, she said.
Plunkett said a variety of sustainable features will make the station the “most environmentally friendly public building in Wilmette.”
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The village began evaluating the construction of a new police station in the early 2000s, Braiman said.
“Constructed in 1968, with a modest remodel/addition in the 1980s, the current 21,000-square-foot station puts Wilmette at a disadvantage in recruiting and retaining officers, limits officers’ training, and the insufficient evidence processing facilities jeopardize the department’s ability to secure charges for crimes committed in the community,” he said.
Braiman said among the key features of the new station include the following.
Holding areas. “Wilmette averages 175 adult and 15 juvenile custodial arrests per year,” he said. “The station has four adult and one juvenile holding cells that were constructed in 1968 and have open metal bars, which pose safety concerns to detainees and officers. The new holding facility will include a larger, open bullpen space to assist individuals who may be experiencing anxiety and/or claustrophobia in the standard jail cells. This new space will also reduce the number of individuals who are placed into a hard holding cell as those arrested for non-violent offenses can temporarily stay in this more open holding area.”
Regional evidence processing and digital forensics. “Annually, the department takes in 1,600 pieces of property and tows/processes 25 vehicles,” Braiman said. “The station lacks an appropriately-sized vehicle processing bay, is running out of space to store evidence long term per statutory requirements, and was not designed to accommodate the amount of evidence now typically collected, especially as we utilize high-tech digital forensics, which requires more physical workstation space for specialized equipment. Deficiencies risk evidence contamination and chain of custody. Wilmette has become a leader in digital forensics and helps to support police departments across the area in accessing and analyzing digital forensics. Municipalities that will have access to the Wilmette digital forensics lab include: Deerfield, Evanston, Glencoe, Glenview, Highland Park, Kenilworth, Lake Forest, Lincolnwood, Lincolnshire, Morton Grove, Niles, Northfield, Northbrook, Skokie, Park Ridge, and Winnetka.”
Training space and a firearms range: “The station lacks a dedicated defensive tactics space, which is crucial to modern policing to ensure officers are trained and confident in their ability to de-escalate situations and refrain from more lethal methods,” he said. “Additionally, the current on-site firearms range can only accommodate stationary target practice, which is insufficient for today’s training needs, which focus on situational experiences that include de-escalation, shoot or don’t-shoot scenarios, teamwork, uses of cover, etc. – all necessary to ensure the WPD and regional police departments are ready to respond to all types of calls, including mass casualty events. Importantly, these training spaces will support regional law enforcement needs by providing opportunities for police officers from across the Chicago region to utilize the newest and best training technologies.”
Improved officer amenities. “The locker rooms in the current facility are too small for officers and the equipment they carry,” Braiman said. “The one shower in the men’s locker room experiences frequent plumbing issues. The female locker room (part of the 1986 addition) is at capacity, the facility lacks a mother’s nursing space, and there is no space for gender neutral locker and bathroom facilities. The station also lacks adequate breakroom facilities; for example, midnight shift officers sometimes sleep in their vehicles in the station’s unsecured parking lot as that is the most comfortable and quiet space to rest while awaiting court calls.”
Social services. “In 1971, Wilmette was one of the first communities in the area to hire a social worker,” he said. “Our social worker manages over 250 requests per year, and plays a critical role in our police services. The village is currently implementing a new co-responder program to improve mental health services to our community. However, the existing counseling space only accommodates one position, and its location lacks private access, meaning individuals in need of support must walk through a variety of busy spaces before accessing services. The facility will provide space for multiple social workers and a dedicated counseling space to treat individuals with dignity and respect.”
A green, sustainable building. “The station budget includes over $400,000 in allowances for the inclusion of sustainable best practices in the building,” Braiman said. “We anticipate constructing a building that will exceed Green Globe and many LEED standards, with potential features such as pollinator gardens, bird-friendly glass, EV readiness, and more, including ensuring the building is solar ready. The Village Board will be considering additional sustainable investments such as solar and more.”