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City of Salem Police Station
Photo by Josh Partee/Architectural Photographer
Submitting Company: JE Dunn Construction
Location: Salem
Cost: $79 million
Owner/Developer: City of Salem
Owner’s Representative: Day CPM
Architect: DLR Group
Engineer: KPFF Consulting Engineers (structural)
Additional Engineering Firm: Westech Engineering (civil)
Other Associates/Consultants: CB Two Architects
General Contractor: JE Dunn Construction
Subcontractors: A&R Solar, Able Equipment, Affinity Landscaping, AKS Engineering, Arctic Sheet Metal, Alliant Systems, American Direct, Bergelectric, Crawford Door, Curtis Restaurant, Dallas Glass, Design Sound, Empire Painting, Floor Factors, General Sheet Metal, Kerr Contractors Oregon, Knife River, Kraft Masonry, L&M Fabrication, Laboratory Design, Marion Construction, Market Contractors, McDonald & Wetle, MLS Interiors, North Santiam Paving, Oregon Lock, Prestige Tile, Sign Wizards, Snyder, Skyrim Studios, Spacesaver, ThyssenKrupp Elevator, Town & Country Fence, Tri Star, Western States Fire Protection, WPI, Wright Security

Salem’s new police station consolidates all police units and departments under one roof in a safe, welcoming building for both staff and the public. It includes evidence storage, a crime lab, training spaces and the City of Salem Emergency Operations Center.

The 104,000-square-foot building also houses a community meeting room, public lobby and outdoor plaza. The design is intended to balance an inviting, civic building while maintaining secure facilities for police operations. An adjacent 77,000-square-foot garage provides secure parking for 250 vehicles.

As a building serving many different needs, each with their own security requirements, the hardware and security systems were complex. JE Dunn and its design partners worked closely with police department leaders through a holistic planning approach, from door functions and paging systems to duress buttons in interview rooms.

The project had an aggressive schedule due to funding constraints from a bond measure. JE Dunn worked with the City of Salem and the design team to develop a phased project delivery plan that included 11 bid packages, early procurement of structural steel, and close coordination of the design deliverables and reconciliation activities. As a result, 52 percent of the work was already in place or contracted by the time the guaranteed maximum price was finalized.

Budget issues, trade labor shortages and complex coordination were among other challenges in addition to some that were unique to 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic caused industrywide disruptions to both the production and supply chain of materials, components and finishes, which impacted the construction schedule.

Then in August, with the majority of the building complete, wildfires broke out and threatened worker safety due to hazardous air quality. While Salem was not under an evacuation notice, many people working on the project live, or have family who live, in nearby towns that were evacuated.