Location: Dodge City, Kansas
Year Completed: 2009
Size: 78,000 SF | 256-Beds
Awards and Publications: Design Cost Data Magazine – July/August 2010 Edition

The Ford County Jail is a 256-bed facility with a sheriff’s office in the facility. The jail is a blend of direct and indirect supervision styles with open, raised satellite control posts in the housing pods. They are designed so the officer is protected while still having direct control and supervision of the housing and circulation areas. The jail is designed to allow for an expansion up to a total of 520-beds.

When building the jail, the team used pre-cast modules for cell construction. Modular construction can be an advantage on “green field” site projects, because it reduces construction time by several months. On a project like this, where the county was paying to house inmates in other counties, the savings were significant. By using this technique, the project was completed several months ahead of schedule.

Dodge City’s history and famous law enforcement heritage is captured in images in the public library as a way to identify the importance of the sheriff department in the community.