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Montgomery County unveils new $2M joint operations center to streamline emergency response
Montgomery County leaders held an official ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new $2 million Joint Operation Center designed to bring emergency management and homeland security teams together under one roof. Operating 24/7, the center aims to improve real-time communication during high-risk calls and severe weather, while police leaders address community privacy concerns regarding license plate readers and drone technology.
GAITHERSBURG, Md. - Officials in Montgomery County opened the new public safety joint operations center Thursday, bringing together crime fighters and emergency first responders in one place.
What we know:
The new, high-tech operations center is located inside the Montgomery County Public Safety Headquarters in Gaithersburg.
The 12,000-square-foot facility is loaded with the latest technology and serves as a base for the police department’s drone pilots.
The joint operations center brings together Montgomery County police, FIRE and EMS, Emergency Management and Homeland Security Teams. Officials said the goal is to improve situational awareness, inter-agency coordination and emergency responses for all kinds of incidents.
"High-risk, time-sensitive emergencies such as missing persons cases, shelter-in-place events, special operations and weather-related emergencies have consistently demonstrated the value of rapid information sharing, unified decision-making and synchronized operations," said Luke Hodgson, Director of the county’s Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the center was held on Thursday, but parts of the joint operation center have been up and running since March.
The official opening of the center comes as automated license plate readers and Flock camera programs are under fire across the region and the nation.
READ MORE | City of Alexandria to shut down all Flock cameras after privacy concerns and backlash
"One of the most important things is model policy, and Montgomery County has been doing that for a long time," said Interim Police Chief Darren Francke. "We have a policy that talks about [Automated License Plate Readers], talks about drone as first responder and we work with our communities to develop that. So, what I would say is look at our policies and understand that those are developed very thoughtfully and it balances public safety with privacy."
Montgomery County budgeted more than $1 million to open the new operations center. It will operate around the clock, but is separate from the county’s Emergency Communications, or 911 center.
The Source: Information in this report is from Montgomery County.