A new 27,500-square-foot, high-tech police station constructed by the UMASS Building Authority opened recently on the campus of UMASS Amherst.

The facility features a new dispatch center, a crime evidence lab and an Emergency Operation Center. The building has received a 2011 Excellence in Construction Award by the Associated Builders and Contractors and will be the first LEED certified facility on the UMASS Amherst campus, according to a statement.

The new headquarters, which will allow for staff growth from 68 to 80 over the next 10 years, is equipped with enhanced day-to-day radio interoperability with police departments from surrounding areas as well as the Federal Emergency Agency, the Mass Emergency Management Agency and Mass State Police. For the first time, the UMA-PD has a crime evidence laboratory and an Emergency Operation Center (EOC) for critical management of operations during a campus, regional, or national emergency and disasters.

"This new center for public safety is a model for other schools," said Henry Thomas III of the UMASS Building Authority and board of trustees. "It gives students, faculty and members of the community peace of mind that any situation can be handled safely and securely."