Erie County Public Safety Center Commissioning

The Public Safety Center is a five story, 120,000 sf, $33 million building that serves as the headquarters for all of Erie County’s crime investigation and emergency management resources. The facility includes the following: a regional forensics lab divided into DNA and firearms analysis, chemistry, and trace evidence sections; photo lab; arson lab; forensic computing lab; motor vehicle examination area; statewide fingerprint identification system; a regional 911 emergency call center; Emergency Operations Center; and administrative and support spaces. Special security and ventilation measures were designed into labs and evidence rooms to safeguard against tampering and theft, and to maintain proper air quality, temperature and humidity.

C.J. Brown Energy provided design through warranty phase commissioning services for the project. The building’s top two floors, which house the forensics/DNA laboratory, were finished first to meet the County’s timetable for reaccreditation. We worked with the project team to develop and implement a phased plan for functional testing that provided the testing for the occupied areas, and for testing the completed facility with minimum disruption.