New Northglenn Justice Center Makes Debut

By Aziza Jackson

NORTHGLENN, Colo, ­— Police services for the City of Northglenn will be housed in their new Northglenn Justice Center starting at 8 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 28.

Officials held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday, Sept. 11 for the new 48,000-square-foot facility that will replace an outdated police station, a current multipurpose room used as city council chambers, and the municipal courtroom.

Architecture firm Hoefer Wysocki designed the new justice center, and FCI Constructors, Inc. based in Grand Junction, Colo., served as the project’s contractors.

“Our goal in the design was to maximize efficiencies of each department,” said Chris Krumrei, Senior Associate AIA, NCARB, project architect and designer at Hoefer Wysocki. “We wanted to create a space that would meet the needs of the city’s police department and municipal court, in addition to needs of Northglenn residents, for the present and future.”

The budget for the project is reportedly $24.3 million and is funded from a half percent sales tax dedicated for capital projects.

According to Hoefer Wysocki, the building’s exterior design reflects the regional vernacular, and large windows and clerestories will provide abundant natural light. Solar panels and battery backup are being studied to power the facility.

“The Northglenn Justice Center stands as a shining example to residents, visitors and the metro north region that we are a proud city,” said Northglenn Mayor Carol Dodge. “Next year marks the 50th anniversary of the City of Northglenn. The dedication of this building is a wonderful way to celebrate our past and look toward our promising future.”

Located on a six-acre, city-owned site at 50 W. Community Center Dr., the building spans 282 feet wing tip to wing tip. The upper level is designed for community access and the lobby features a police museum that honors the history of the police department. This level also houses the city’s investigations unit, records unit, victim advocates unit, a work area for volunteers, a multi-purpose training and community room, and the municipal court.

The lower level of the building houses the crime lab, property evidence room, training room, and holding cells. The crime lab will process most of the city’s cases and support additional laboratory technicians. The crime lab and evidence area consist of 3,100-square feet, and feature on-site blood drying cabinets, fuming hood and chamber, and vacuum chamber, among other testing components. Officers will use an 830-square foot evidence processing area, adjacent to 120-square feet of refrigerated evidence pass-through lockers with card reader access, allowing the chain of custody to be tracked through the entire evidence process. The facility will also employ security cameras and biometric locks.

The justice center was designed to be a 100-year building, complete with green and smart technologies that are meant to serve the Northglenn community for many generations.

“I want to emphasize that this Justice Center is a community asset,” said Northglenn Police Chief James May. “The services rendered in this building are about creating relationships with our community partners and providing an outstanding public safety service to the people who live, work and visit Northglenn.”