Bradley’s Police Department will be at home in its new location in less than a month.
Lt. Troy Eeten said the department is still in planning stages for the Feb. 14 move to office space in CampusTown.
“We are preparing to prepare,” he said. “We’re going to sit down next week to come up with a game plan for moving and prioritize what needs to be moved immediately and what can wait a couple of weeks.”
Bradley police will be moving their offices into the previous location of Blockbuster, which went out of business last spring.
“The move will give us the opportunity to grow,” said Sgt. Rick Hutchison. “And it will allow us to be more organized.”
Although moving a complete police department is a difficult task, Eeten said their work will not be disturbed.
“We want to remind campus and the community that it is a several day process, but there will be no disruptions,” Eeten said. “Some things have to keep going, and we are not going to lose anything. We are making sure that we still have access to phones, cameras and radios.”
Vice President of Student Affairs Alan Galsky said the administration is excited about the move and it will allow the department more space and on-campus.
“It’s a great idea for a number of reasons,” he said. “It provides greater visibility, [the office] will be easier to see and gives the impression of a greater sense of security.”
Hutchison said they will be still be in close proximity to issues on campus.
“CampusTown is a great location,” he said. “A lot of panhandling calls originate over there and if there are any issues we’re right there.”
Although it may seem the department is moving further away from central campus and residential halls, Hutchison said they will be closer to the St. James Complexes and Main Street Commons and response time to calls should have no change.
“We don’t sit here and wait for calls,” he said. “95 percent of the time we are in cars and responding to calls.”
Hutchison also said by moving there will give access to separate areas for interviews, meetings and storage instead of using a single multi-purpose room.
“[The new location] is two, maybe three times as big as the space we have now,” said Hutchison. “There will now be a dedicated gun room, training room, larger offices, a kitchen area and separate rooms for evidence and records, which we don’t have now.”
In addition, several parking spots have been allotted specifically for patrol cars, Eeten said.
Galsky also said moving the department will make students taking classes in CampusTown feel safer.
“Students will and should feel more comfortable about going to class in CampusTown,” he said.
