FRANKFORT, IL — The shuttered Lincoln-Way North high school may be turned into a law enforcement center. A statement from Illinois Sen. Michael Hastings says he and other officials looked at the school as a possible new headquarters for the Illinois State Police’s District 5.

The building, on S. Harlem Avenue, was closed for the 2016-2017 school year, a decision that brought a lawsuit from parents. Officials lately have been deciding whether to sell the building.

Hastings visited the building with Superintendent Dr. Scott Tingsley, School Board President Joe Kirkeeng and a representative of the Illinois State Police (ISP). Part of their visit was to determine whether the building would be a good location for "a brand new state of the art forensics lab," Hastings said in a statement on Facebook.

The state senator said if the building becomes the new headquarters, there would be a strong economic impact to the area. "Having a district headquarters located at Lincoln Way North would immediately impact the Vollmer Road and Harlem Avenue corridor. Hundreds of (sic) not thousand jobs (sic) would be created along with a significant police presence in the area," he said.

In September 2017, a year after the school closed, Lawrence Wyllie, the former superintendent of Lincoln-Way High School District, was indicted on five counts of wire fraud and one count of embezzlement in relation to accusations of him misusing school district bond money.

But, health problems have caused the courts to delay the 80-year-old’s trial. He’s received nearly $600,000 in pension funds since his indictment, according to a Chicago Tribune report.

See more on Patch:

See Sen. Hastings’ statement below:

For those interested in LW North:

On June 27, 2019, my office initiated and coordinated a visit with Lincoln Way High School District 210’s Superintendent, Dr. Scott Tingsley, School Board President, Joe Kirkeeng & the Illinois State Police (ISP)

In attendance were myself, Mr. Kirkeeng, Director Kelly from ISP, Assistant Superintendent Brad Cauffmann, Lincoln Way Building & Grounds staff & ISP command team.

The purpose of the visit was to see if there was an opportunity to relocate District 5 headquarters and potentially consolidate other leased spaces into one facility.

Additionally, the property was looked at to evaluate whether it could support a brand new state of the art forensics lab. Overall, ISP was overwhelmed by the excellent condition of the building, professionalism of the staff and the potential for the property.

However, this is just the beginning of the process & there are many steps to getting this accomplished.

Since the last visit, my office and ISP have reached out to other state agencies to gain further interest and build synergies that compliment ISPs mission.

State agencies contacted were: Central Management Services, Illinois Emergency Management Agency, Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Public Health. After our initial contact, a lot of them have expressed interest in follow up visits.

The economic impact of this cannot be understated. Having a district headquarters located at Lincoln Way North would immediately impact the Vollmer Road and Harlem Avenue corridor. Hundreds of not thousand jobs would be created along with a significant police presence in the area.

As the state continues its due diligence, I will be sure to keep everyone as informed as I can. If anyone has any questions, you can contact my office.

(… and for the conspiracy theorists out there, attached is a picture to prove the visit happened)