Construction underway on new Emergency Operations Center in Indio

Local officials celebrated the start of construction Wednesday, of county public safety projects in Indio, with a groundbreaking ceremony of the new Eastern Riverside County Emergency Operations Center at 82695 Dr. Carreon Blvd.

Work on the center started July 7 and should be finished in February, according to Supervisor John Benoit’s office.

The Emergency Operations Center is part of a multi-phase public safety project that includes a new Eastern Riverside County Detention Center and a law building that will house the District Attorney, Public Defender, County Counsel, Law Library and other related offices, according to Benoit’s office.

The emergency center is currently in the basement of the County Administrative Center, which will be demolished to make room for the expansion of detention center beds in Indio.

The telecommunications hub for the Riverside County Department of Information Technology will be moved to the new emergency center, according to Benoit’s office.

The emergency center is replacing the 14,400-square-foot former Indio sheriff’s station, which has been vacant since the sheriff’s department moved to a new station in Thermal.