Plainfield police seek temporary headquarters after sewer damage to station

Chief Prewitt told the Plainfield Board of Police Commissioners on March 5 that the department’s headquarters suffered extensive sewer-water damage and required an eight-day mitigation operation that removed contaminated materials and required outside contractors.

The problem was not an internal plumbing failure, Prewitt said, and Public Works staff were called in after department staff suspected a broader infrastructure issue. Prewitt credited facilities lead Eric Lees for coordinating on-site work and said Lees "stayed there for the entirety of that operation." He also sought to correct online speculation, saying, "there was no officer who consumed too much Taco Bell to create the problem" on social media.

Prewitt said the cleanup included sanitizing, cutting away drywall and removing tile, and that department leaders have been evaluating office spaces that could restore public services such as records and the court office. He noted that many available spaces lack police-specific infrastructure — "they're not going to have holding cells" — and the department is prioritizing sites that allow a one-stop public interface similar to the former building.

The chief said he hopes to present options to the town council in the next couple of weeks but had no definitive recommendation at the March 5 meeting. Commissioners did not take formal action at the meeting on any relocation plan.