Police Chief: Cell Block Upgrade and Pawn Shop Guide

To prevent operational bottlenecks in Police Chief, expand active cell block capacity as soon as holding space fills up, then conduct pawn shop sweeps during shift downtime to recover stolen evidence and fund station maintenance.

Managing Cell Block Capacity and Station Flow

When officers bring in suspects without open holding space, they remain stuck at the station, delaying patrol rotations and halting precinct workflow. Upgrade your cell blocks to increase active cell capacity whenever booking queues stall.

To keep suspect intake moving smoothly, manage your station floor plan and AI movement:

Clear Pathing Obstacles: Keep the station entrance, booking area, interaction zones, and evidence intake free of debris. Blocked paths prevent officers from offloading detainees.
Resolve Pathing Errors: If officers become stuck behind objects or other personnel near the booking desk, open the radial menu to manually redirect their movement.
Prioritize Cell Expansion Over Decor: Allocate your early budget to active holding cells before purchasing cosmetic or luxury station upgrades. Expanding holding space preserves shift efficiency and avoids costly suspect transfers to outside facilities.

Pawn Shop Evidence Recovery and Workflow

Pawn shops act as a key revenue source and evidence hub. Goods displayed in local storefronts can often be linked back to open cases.

Check Dispatch Logs: Review active incident reports and dispatch records to note missing high-value stolen goods.
Inspect Shop Inventory: Visit local pawn shops during quiet shift windows and cross-reference inventory items with your incident logs.
Seize Stolen Goods: Identify matching stolen property and seize it as evidence to earn case rewards and precinct funds.
Process at Evidence Intake: Return directly to the precinct evidence desk. Ensure the terminal path is clear so officers can log recovered items immediately to close cases.

Recommended Shift Schedule

To maintain reliable cash flow while keeping up with arrest volumes, structure your daily shift around patrol duties, facility management, and off-site investigations:

Shift Phase	Primary Focus	Action
Morning Shift	Revenue & Patrol	Run active street patrols and write traffic violations to build baseline capital.
Mid-Shift	Facility Expansion	Check cell block capacity; start new cell construction if space is near max.
Evening Shift	Evidence & Cleanup	Sweep local pawn shops, deliver stolen items to the evidence desk, and close out cases.