May 18, 2024
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Joliet Junior College renovated its police facility, quadrupling its space

Brandon Campbell: ‘The old setup was fragmented’

By Denise M. Baran-Unland
Joliet Junior College police department held a grand opening for its newly expanded and remodel facility on Wednesday, Aug. 10 at G-Building at the college’s main campus at 1215 Houbolt Road in Joliet. The space is now more than 4.5 times its former size. Features include new vehicle storage, a larger and modernized dispatch area, training classroom, conference room, processing and holding area, and interview rooms.

Joliet Junior College police department held a grand opening for its newly expanded and remodel facility on Wednesday, Aug. 10, at G-Building at the college’s main campus at 1215 Houbolt Road in Joliet. The space is now more than 4.5 times its former size. Features include new vehicle storage, a larger and modernized dispatch area, training classroom, conference room, processing and holding area, and interview rooms. (Photo courtesy of Joliet Junior College)

The new Joliet Junior College Police Department facility has many benefits to the department, but one stands out to Brandon Campbell, director of campus safety and JJC police chief.

Last week when Joliet Junior College police department held a department meeting, most of the force were able to be present, due to the spacious conference room, Campbell said.

JJC’s police department has 15 sworn officers and 20 campus safety officers, JJC said.

“It was the first time the majority of the police department met in one room,” Campbell said. “In-person meetings make for a better dynamic.”

JJC celebrated the grand opening of its renovated police department on Aug. 10. The seven-month project grew the space from approximately 2,700 square feet to nearly 13,600 square feet, JJC said.

Features of the expanded and remodeled facility include new vehicle storage, a larger and modernized dispatch area, training classroom, conference room, processing and holding area, and interview rooms, JJC said.

Campbell is thrilled the facility is one centralized location.

“The old setup was fragmented and in several different spaces,” Campbell said. “So there was no continuity in the police department. We just occupied multiple spaces and there were little common spaces that we shared. This is ours.”

The JJC police department also held a signing of the Ten Shared Principles at the ribbon cutting. Campbell said these principles were created several years ago by the Illinois National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) State Conference and the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police.

Campbell said he is a member of the executive board of the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police. He said the Ten Shared Principles “align with 21st century policing models,” which include prioritizing “community policing, community engagement and being fair and impartial.”

He’s glad the JJC police department have adopted these Ten Shared Principles. He said people have moved away interacting on a human level to the degree they should.

“This really emphasizes the need to get back to that human level,” Campbell said.