The goal for the new police station is to shorten response times.

The new police station will continue with the final plan for the building. The final add-on was a communications tower, which was approved on April 8.. The new building will be much safer for officers and residents coming into the station, said Cmdr. Jason Leverton.

“It’s going to be such an improvement,” Leverton said. “It is exciting.”

The city had a study done to test the response time from the current location to the proposed location and the response time was much quicker for the proposed location, said Mayor Kris Povlsen.

“The north side of the tracks is where most of the calls come from and is where most of the expansion of the city is going,” Povlsen said.

The NIU police station is also on the north side of the train tracks.

“The close proximity of the new DeKalb Police Department will only continue to strengthen the positive relationships that the NIU and DeKalb Police Departments have forged,” said NIU Lt. Donald Rodman.

Mayor-elect John Rey said the newfound connections between the DeKalb Police Department and the NIU Police Department will also contribute to the overall safety.

Povlsen said though the building’s location will reduce the department’s response time, that is not the only way the new station will help.

“It’s not only about the timeliness of it,” Povlsen said. “It increases safety and security, too.”

Some of the improvements include a better car port for the transport of arrestees, holding cells, interrogation rooms, more security, a newer tech center and better training technology

Povlsen said the holding rooms are important because with the current building, a victim and suspect wait in the lobby together.

“We’ve been overcrowded in our old station since the ’60s,” Povlsen said. “That building was built for 20 officers and we have about 80 now.”

Leverton said the new building should be done around Oct. 1.

“I think it’s going to contribute significantly,” Rey said.

Rodman said it will be a win-win for both departments.

“This is long overdue and will be a valuable asset to the community,” Polvsen said.