McGreevey opens state Homeland Security Center

Lawrence location replaces Fort Dix.

By: Lea Kahn
   Six months ago, the masonry building across the driveway from the state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs offices on Eggert Crossing Road was an empty shell.
   But hundreds of hours of work and $2.5 million later, the 10,000-square-foot former warehouse in Lawrence has been converted into the state’s Homeland Security Center of Excellence. It replaces a similar facility at Fort Dix.
   Saturday morning, Gov. James McGreevey, surrounded by members of the state Army and Air National Guard, cut the ribbon on the new building. The governor swept through the building on a whirlwind tour before the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
   The state-of-the-art Homeland Security Center allows communication between local, state, federal and military agencies through video teleconferencing, secure and non-secure communications, radio communications and data and voice communications, said state Adjutant General Glenn K. Rieth. He is in charge of the 9,000 members of the state Army and Air National Guard, and also heads the state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.
   In an emergency situation — either a natural disaster or an act of terrorism — the Eggert Crossing Road facility would become the command and control center for those who were called on to respond, including the Army and Air National Guard as well as state and federal agencies, Gen. Rieth said.
   The facility will be staffed by 20 state and federal employees weekdays, Gen. Rieth said. If the governor declared a state of emergency, as many as 150 people would work out of the center, he said.
   The Homeland Security Center was built in response to the Sept. 11 terror attacks, said Col. Maria Morgan, the state deputy adjutant general. The Army and Air National Guard worked out of a similar facility at Fort Dix, but that facility is outdated, she said.
   "We operated out of Fort Dix for blizzards and floods, but it was not equipped for Sept. 11," Col. Morgan said. "We needed this building desperately. We went to New York, Pennsylvania and Delaware (to visit similar homeland security facilities). We took what we thought was best (and incorporated it into the new building). This building is beyond what we had at Fort Dix."
   As he cut the ribbon, Gov. McGreevey thanked the citizen-soldiers who make up the New Jersey Army and Air National Guard. After Sept. 11, citizens across the state began to recognize the critical importance of the National Guard, he said.
   "As governor, I am only beginning to understand the sacrifices a citizen-soldier makes," he said. "The citizens of New Jersey understand the sacrifices you make, your dedication to service and the commitment of your families. We all understand how Sept. 11 radically changed our lives.
   "Confronting the new security challenges is, and will always remain, a top priority of our administration," Gov. McGreevey said. "The Homeland Security Center represents a significant step forward in our commitment to provide New Jersey families with a safe and secure environment."
   Since the terror attacks, the state has launched or completed several initiatives aimed at improving security, Gov. McGreevey said. These include stiffer penalties for terrorism-related crimes, training more than 1,000 police officers in counter-terrorism measures and a new law that calls for expanded background checks for airport employees.