Cook County Juvenile Detention Center IT Infrastructure Upgrade

Level-1 upgraded IT, telecom, and AV systems at Cook County Juvenile Detention Center, strengthening security, care, and education.

Cook County is the second-largest county in the United States and home to more than 40 percent of Illinois residents. Within it, the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center sits at the intersection of public safety, healthcare, education, and justice. It houses youth between the ages of 10 and 16 who are awaiting adjudication by the Juvenile Division of the Cook County Courts or who have been transferred from juvenile to criminal court but remain housed here instead of the county jail. The Center exists not only as a detention facility, but as an integrated care environment that includes a Chicago Public School, full medical services, and social development programs. It is part of the Cook County Health and Hospital System, located within the Illinois Medical District. 

The Cook County Office of Capital Planning engaged Level-1 Global Solutions as part of a technology and infrastructure team to lead a comprehensive upgrade of the Center’s telecommunications, A/V and IT systems. The scope of work focused on modernizing the facility’s digital backbone to support the needs of multiple internal departments, each operating with distinct compliance, communication, and continuity requirements.

Our scope included the design and commissioning of: 

• A new fiber optic distribution system to handle growing bandwidth demand 
• A low-voltage copper cable system to support internal connectivity 
• Upgraded wireless access point technology with enhanced security protocols 
• New environmental controls to support thermal and operational stability 
• Backbone infrastructure to support video surveillance, electronic medical records, and digital timekeeping systems 

The result is a facility equipped to support its full range of operational responsibilities from education and healthcare to legal coordination and internal administration. Every system was delivered with an emphasis on durability, performance, and future adaptability. Level-1’s work helped position the Center to operate with greater technical alignment, allowing its many functions to coexist within a single, coordinated infrastructure.