Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) has broken ground on a US$220m state-of-the-art airport police facility that will consolidate operations from eight separate locations under one roof.
Consolidation of the current police facilities was a recommendation in the 2011 Report of the Mayor’s Blue Ribbon Panel on Airport Security. The 160,000ft2 (14,860m2) building will be located on the northeast corner of Westchester Parkway and Loyola Boulevard, just north of the Central Terminal Area at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The 12-acre development will also include a new 960-stall parking structure.
“Ensuring the safety and security of our guests and employees is the foundation of everything we do at Los Angeles World Airports and this new state-of-the-art Airport Police Facility will facilitate more efficient operations across our various police divisions and with our partner agencies,” said Deborah Flint, CEO, Los Angeles World Airports. “The Los Angeles Airport Police Division is the largest airport police department in the country, and with this new facility our Airport Police Division [APD] will be even better equipped to serve our airports for decades to come.”
The facility will include space for the Los Angeles Airport Police Division’s (APD) Office of Operations, Office of Support Services, Office of Homeland Security and Intelligence, Emergency Service Unit, Traffic and Security Group, Bomb Disposal Unit, K-9 Unit, a practice range and a multipurpose room. It will also include a landscaped walkway along Westchester Parkway.
Consolidating many of the APD operations at one site will improve the communication and coordination of operations and resources for essential public safety services at the airport. When completed, it will be one of the largest police facilities in the state.
The Airport Police Facility project will include many sustainability features, including dual-piping for future recycled water use. The maximum size solar/photo-voltaic system allowed will be installed on the building, consistent with Federal Aviation Administration requirements for glare and other technical considerations. The facility is being built to CalGreen Tier 1 standards and designed to attain, at a minimum, LEED Silver certification.
The facility is being designed and constructed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM) and Hensel Phelps.
