Construction continues on Homeland Security Education Center

Construction continues on both the exterior and the interior of the new Homeland Security Education Center at College of DuPage, which is on schedule to open this summer.

The 65,000-square-foot center will house COD's Criminal Justice and Fire Science programs, along with the Suburban Law Enforcement Academy and the College's Police Department. Features include state-of-the-art forensics labs, a 4-D tactical village and mock courtroom facilities.

“You can see the basic backbone of the center taking shape,” said John Wandolowski, director of Facilities. “If you look at the tactical village, you can see the street scene coming together. In a few months the storefronts will be in place.”

The glass-enclosed, light-filled lobby features a grand staircase, and just off the lobby on the main level is the tiered lecture hall/mock courtroom. Corridors along the north side of the building, which features a wall of glass and indentations to encourage students and community members to congregate, will have heated floors.

When the center is completed, COD will have the only facility of its kind in the Midwest. For more information, visit www.cod.edu/facilities_plan.