Montgomery County, MD

Public Safety Headquarters

Description

Located at 100 Edison Park Drive in Gaithersburg, the Public Safety Headquarters (PSHQ) is located in a landmark building in Montgomery County. Built in 1968, the building was originally the National Geographic headquarters. The site then became known as the GE Tech Park when General Electric bought the building.

After 50 years, this landmark building was in need of renovation. At the same time, the County’s former PSHQ was direly overcrowded, antiquated, and in poor condition; the building would require significant capital maintenance and repair. The former 1st District Police Station was also in poor condition and was nearly 50 years old.

A public safety headquarters at the strategically located GE building would address longstanding needs of the County. Not only would both the PSHQ and 1st District Police Station get the adequate space and upgrades necessary to best serve the public, but co-locating these compatible functions out of leased space and into one, County-owned facility has led to significant cost savings. The County began leasing the building in 2009 and purchased it in 2014 after renovating it.

PSHQ now houses central County Police and County Fire and Rescue Services functions, the Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (OEMHS), and the 1st District Police Station. Additionally, some Department of Transportation functions were moved from a leased space to the building.