Law enforcement agencies, courthouses, crime labs, corrections facilities, and more focus on distinctly different aspects of public safety. But their overall priorities are the same—maintaining security and establishing efficiency in their departments.
It might seem unrelated, but storage can help this priority. There’s no shortage of important items to store in a public safety facility—from evidence and weapons to gear and records—and with over 45 years of experience in partnering with public safety entities, Bradford Systems knows that an organized space can make a big difference in serving a community.
It certainly did for the Skokie Police Department. Skokie PD had outgrown its facility and didn’t have the space for a growing police force. Luckily, the village decided to convert an abandoned 80,000 square foot bottling plant into a state-of-the-art headquarters. They knew then they’d have a chance to build a space that was perfect for their department’s needs.
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Police departments know that their most valuable assets are their people. So it’s important that each person in your public safety department has a secure, organized place for equipment and gear. Utilizing heavy-duty, configurable officer gear lockers that we installed at Skokie PD, officers were able to customize their lockers based on individual needs with lockable drawers, duty belt hangers, adjustable full-width shelves, outlets for charging electronic devices, and bracket assemblies for hanging garments.
Each of the lockers also includes a bench made out of hardwood that doubles as a drawer—ideal for storing boots and drying body armor with the help of a pullout-drying tray.
Spacesaver’s FreeStyle® Personal Storage Lockers feature a unique Pull-Out Bench, perfect for spaces without room for a fixed bench. Made from durable, moisture-resistant phenolic resin, this retractable bench withstands daily use while offering a secure, integrated design that doesn’t require a separate lock. Ideal for fieldwork, classrooms, and community spaces, it ensures final preparations are safe, organized, and efficient.
They offer a full-size locker and bench without compromising ADA aisle spacing. Engineered with optimized airflow and a door/drawer interlock system, these lockers minimize the risk of lost or stolen property. Built to endure changing climates and humidity, this high-performance bench is a clear differentiator in the market.
In addition to the personal storage lockers, it was also important for Skokie’s officers to store their gear bags when not out on patrol. To assist with this, several banks of duty bag lockers were installed, ensuring a safe home for officer gear. This locker area was designed adjacent to the parking lot, creating an easy drop-off spot following a shift.
Skokie’s department was especially proud of its Tactical Intervention Unit (TIU), whose mission was to respond to hostage situations and other special circumstances. For this reason, it was important that they have immediate access to gear. With this in mind, we designed large, open lockers from 4-post metal shelving with shelves of different heights to accommodate the unit’s helmets, weapons, shields, and gas masks. Similar to the personal storage lockers, these lockers were also equipped with electrical outlets and heavy-duty garment hangers to allow for the hanging of fully loaded tactical vests.
With the changes in Illinois’ statutes for evidence, it’s common for Skokie to keep evidence from many cases indefinitely. Being stored in the old building, it meant a severe lack of long-term evidence storage. The village was also home to one of the largest malls in the state—creating a lot of theft-related evidence.
In the new evidence room, high-density compact mobile storage was utilized to organize the department’s current evidence inventory, while planning for future needs.
“The buzz in law enforcement these days is to do more with less,” says now-retired Skokie Police Chief Silverberg. “The mobile storage systems let us do exactly that. Combined with the evidence lockers, this compact storage allows us to tighten the chain of custody and do what we do more efficiently than ever.”
How you manage your records is just as important as how they’re stored. We’ve worked with many departments to not only upgrade their records storage, but also help digitize, secure, and maintain records. To handle records in accordance with these requirements, we developed a process for managing CJIS information strictly within compliance. Many of our clients handling documents that fall under CJIS compliant scanning & document management count on us as experts in this field regarding a variety of records, including investigation files, arrest records, incident reports, fingerprints, citations, and more.
In the public safety sector, communication is everything. We approach your command or dispatch center, operations control room, or whatever your “ship” may be with clean, mission-critical, and ergonomic design expertise to ensure nothing is lost in translation.
When the files you and your staff need are stored correctly and are easily accessible, time will no longer be wasted searching for the documents you need. Our storage experts will assess your space and develop a unique solution to ensure your files are optimally stored.
Proper gun storage can not only extend the life of your weapons but can protect your team from any accidental injuries. Our team of storage experts will listen to your needs and ensure your weapons are stored safely, securely, and efficiently with CALEA accreditation.
Partnering with Russ Basset, we offer state-of-the-art Desience Dispatch and Console systems. Ergonomic and modular design, unmatched structural integrity, advanced technology integration, and customization options. Descience Consoles are ideal for command centers.
Improve your storage areas and increase your floor space by connecting with our storage planning experts.
