Stocking-capped East Peoria city officials broke ground for a new police station on a cold day in late December. Police Chief Dave Catton couldn’t be happier.

“We really need the space,” Catton said. But a larger, more centrally located police headquarters is just one of the ways Catton and the city’s police force are helping to make East Peoria safer and more responsive to the community.

Catton has been East Peoria’s top law enforcement officer for not quite two years, but he is no stranger to the local police force. The Dunlap native entered law enforcement as a corrections officer for the Tazewell County Sherrif in 2002. In 2005 he joined the East Peoria police force, initially as a patrol officer, then as a detective sergeant on the investigations team. He was deputy chief for just a few months before being tapped for the top position.

“I never strived to be chief, but I always felt I was successful at leading others,” Catton said. He enjoyed time spent as a detective sergeant because he was able to connect with the members of his team. 

“When I became chief, I assumed a position where you can really make a difference,” he said. “That’s what really excites me is the ability to lead and impact the community and the department.”

In a relatively short time, he has started to see that impact. He said that from day one a top priority has been to get the force back to full staffing. On January 2, two new officers were sworn in and a promotion was announced, bringing the force up to its full operational level of 50 sworn officers.

A third school resource officer also recently joined the force, expanding the benefits of that program to include the city’s grade schools. 

Catton said the department has worked hard to “create an environment where people want to come here to work.” Perhaps the most visible evidence of that effort is the new police station, with ample space for every member of the law enforcement team to be efficient and effective.

The current 6,000 sq. ft. police facility at 201 W. Washington St. is bursting at the seams and has been from the day it was first occupied in the late 1980s, Catton said. It is also difficult to access at times, especially when a train is moving through town. The new facility at 500 W. Camp St. will include 38,000 sq. ft. of purpose-built space to better accommodate the needs of a modern police force.

“Every single square foot of the new station has a purpose,” Catton said. This includes a roll call room for daily briefings, a dedicated space for report writing and a large community room where the police and others can hold community events. An in-house laboratory will allow officers to “safely, productively, and efficiently” test and collect evidence. The facility will also feature significantly more evidence storage space, a long-standing issue in the current facility.

Construction on the nearly $22 million police station will begin as weather permits, with move-in expected in the summer of 2026. The new location will provide better access to the Levee District, which Catton said is where the department gets most of its calls.

“We don’t have a lot of violent crime, it is mostly property crime,” the chief said. “Our retail centers will be even safer with active pro-active patrols and their proximity to the new station.”

At the end of December 2024, the police department completed a one-year trial period and moved to permanently implement 12-hour shifts for patrol officers. Catton said police departments across the state talk about moving to longer shifts, but East Peoria is one of only a few to actually make the change.

“It has had a really positive impact on officers’ morale and with the community because we are able to put more people on the street every day,” he said. 

“What I love about East Peoria is the public safety support that we get,” Catton said. “We focus on being responsive to the citizens. Our partnership with the community is what really stands out about East Peoria.”

Looking ahead, Catton said the department is working to improve safety at large public events like the July 4th riverfront celebration and the Festival of Lights parade. The recent deaths of New Year’s Eve revelers in New Orleans makes the need for heightened security crystal clear.

“It’s something we have to constantly evaluate,” he said. “It’s a challenge, but we can address it with technology and good planning.”

Catton and his wife, Jennifer, have raised two children in East Peoria. One son is in the Air Force and the other is a musician and basketball player at Illinois Central Christian School. 

“I think the future looks good for East Peoria, we have the things people are looking for,” Catton said: great public safety, improving infrastructure, ever-expanding retail, and a “laid back atmosphere.”