On Tuesday, September 26, 2006, Washington, D.C., Mayor Anthony Williams will host the District of Columbia's Unified Communications Center (UCC) grand opening ceremony. The ceremony will feature a ribbon cutting, tours, and remarks by community leaders and officials including but not limited to: District of Columbia Mayor Anthony Williams, Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton, Chief Technology Officer Suzanne Peck, Director of the Office of Unified Communications (OUC) E. Michael Latessa, Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Chief Charles Ramsey and Fire Emergency Medical Services (FEMS) Chief Adrian Thompson.

The UCC is a state-of-the art communications center that consolidates the command and control functions of the D.C. Police; Fire, Emergency Medical Services; Emergency Management Agency (EMA), and Public Services. In the event of a regional emergency, the UCC will serve as the command center for local law enforcement agencies and EMS first responders. Furthermore, this advanced facility can host regional and federal authorities during national emergencies. The UCC was designed to optimize the use of people, technology and business processes. It also provides economic development and community revitalization benefits while improving public safety for District citizens. The building of the UCC was an eight-year, government-wide initiative.
KW