The DeKalb Police Department currently is making plans to build an additional police station to supplement the current station.

Right now, the department is selecting a firm to conduct a space-needs study: Williams Architects and Phillips Swager Associates are the two finalists. The firm will examine the number of officers, types of positions and potential population growth to determine how many personnel the city will require in about 20 years, Police Chief Bill Feithen said.

“The building will be occupied for 20 to 30 years,” Lt. Jim Kayes said. “They’ll have to figure out what will be the population of the city and what square footage to build.”

The firm will be chosen and proposed to the city council within 60 days.

The real need for a new station comes from an apparent lack of space. The current station was built in 1968, and is about 11,500-square feet. Kayes said the department has grown and no longer has enough room.

Feithen said the need for the new police station became clear when he saw the piles of boxes in the offices. He added that the facilities of similarly sized departments are about 40,000-square feet.

“We’re maxed out,” Feithen said.

The new facility won’t be built for three to five years, though the construction of a new station has been discussed for a while. Feithen said the new station was one of the issues he wanted to tackle when he came into office.

“We wanted to wait until the new chief was hired,” Feithen said. “They can then take off with the project.”

The important part is to do the job right, he added.

“We want to have a facility that projects a professional image and is functional,” Feithen said.