The Associated Press
 N.J. State Police Superintendent, Col. Rick Fuentes, right, talks about some of the emergency center’s features during the opening ceremonies of the Regional Operations Intelligence Center in Ewing, N.J., Wednesday. The center, nicknamed “The Rock,” is where federal, state and local officials will gather to monitor emergency situations as they unfold. (AP Photo/Mel Evans) |
EWING, N.J. (AP) -- New Jersey State Police officially opened an emergency operations center on Wednesday -- a cavernous, technologically advanced facility designed to serve as a hub for interagency coordination during terrorist attacks, major crimes or natural disasters.
The Regional Operations Intelligence Center, nicknamed “The Rock,’' is where federal, state and local officials will gather to monitor emergency situations as they unfold.
Gov. Jon S. Corzine, who helped open the center at state police headquarters here, called the facility “the first of its kind, the best in its class.’'
“This is a proud day, it is an important day because it really is a major, vital step forward toward protecting the people of the State of New Jersey,’' Corzine said.
Earlier Wednesday, the center was dedicated to slain state trooper Philip Lamonaco, who was gunned down during a traffic stop on Interstate 80 in 1981. The inscription on a memorial to Lamonaco says his killers were caught and prosecuted because various police agencies worked together and shared information, the core mission of the center.
The private dedication was attended by Lamonaco’s widow and other family members. Lamonaco’s son, Michael, also a state trooper, will work in the new building, Corzine said.
Besides its capabilities in natural and manmade emergencies, the center was designed to provide police intelligence on major crime situations such as hostage-takings and school shootings and on gang activity through state-of-the-art technologies.
“How far we have come,’' Attorney General Stuart Rabner said after reminding the audience that a big, empty room in Newark served as New Jersey law enforcement’s meeting spot after 9/11 and that officials were unfolding tables and installing computers as they coordinated their response to the attacks.
“This is a milestone moment for New Jersey,’' Rabner said. “We are not exaggerating when we predict that other states will follow suit with the lead that New Jersey has taken here.’'
The center was conceived in 1999 after tropical storm Floyd flooded large areas of New Jersey, including the Emergency Operations Center in the basement of state police headquarters, and the project gained momentum after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
The building is designed to withstand hurricane-force winds and an earthquake measuring 5.5 on the Richter scale.
As envisioned, it could accommodate officials from the FBI, Homeland Security and FEMA, plus regional partners such as the NYPD, as well as those from state, municipal and non-governmental agencies.