Grant funds security upgrades at Lake Zurich police station

The Lake Zurich Police Department recently was awarded $35,000 in capital improvement grant funds as part of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity program.

The grant, facilitated by 51st District state Rep. Mary Edly-Allen, covered 75% of the cost to replace the police station's aging security and access system.

The system manages all exterior doors, along with many restricted interior spaces, by utilizing hard-wired wall mounted keypads connected to a single computer. Important areas of concern include prisoner processing areas, interview and interrogation rooms, and property and evidence rooms.

"Anything we can do to update and improve our safety and security is appreciated, Mayor Tom Poynton said.

The previous access and security system had been in place since the station was built 17 years ago. It had developed system failures and the hardware and software were no longer supported by the manufacturer, officials said.