On Tuesday, the District formally opened its $116 million public safety operations center, a highly secure, technology-driven facility that is designed to manage all levels of crisis efficiently, from a burned-out streetlight to a regionwide disaster.

The opening of the 127,000-square-foot Unified Communications Center ushers in a “new era in emergency preparedness and Homeland Security in our city,” said Mayor Anthony Williams, who was joined by Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine and Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, among many District dignitaries, for the official dedication.