PORT POLICE TO GET NEW HEADQUARTERS
First Police HQ in California to Feature LEED-Gold Environmental Standards
SAN PEDRO, Calif. — February 7, 2008 — The Los Angeles Harbor Commission has approved a $42.7 million contract to build a new, state-of-the-art headquarters for the Los Angeles Port Police – the first new headquarters facility for the security agency in 25 years.
The new headquarters building, at Centre Street between Third and Fifth streets in San Pedro, will replace a 4,000-square-foot facility inside the Port of Los Angeles administrative building that was originally designed for 30 officers and dates back to the early 1980s.
“We’re excited to move forward with the construction of a 21st-century police facility that will help us further our mission to keep our harbor and surrounding communities safe and secure,” said Port Executive Director Geraldine Knatz, Ph.D.
The three-story, 51,000-square-foot building will accommodate the Port Police’s growing security force. It will include an updated dispatch center, surveillance center and an emergency operations center, among other facilities, enabling the police agency to enhance its capability to serve the Port and adjacent communities.
The new Port Police headquarters will also be the first police building in California to be constructed to the LEED gold standard, a rating from the U.S. Green Building Council that requires sustainable design and construction elements. LEED features will include photovoltaic solar panels for generating electricity, water-efficient landscaping and plumbing, an on-site storm-water management system and other environmentally friendly technology.
Work on the new headquarters is expected to begin in spring 2008, with completion about two years later.
The Port of Los Angeles, also known as “America’s Port,” has a strong commitment to developing innovative strategic and sustainable operations that benefit the economy and the quality of life for the region and the nation it serves. A recipient of numerous environmental awards, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's 2007 Clean Air Excellence Award, the Port of Los Angeles is committed to innovating cleaner, greener ways of doing business. As the leading seaport in North America in terms of shipping container volume and cargo value, the Port generates 919,000 regional jobs and $39.1 billion in annual wages and tax revenues. A proprietary department of the City of Los Angeles, the Port is self-supporting and does not receive taxpayer dollars. The Port of Los Angeles - A cleaner port. A brighter future.