State-of-the-Art Police Facility Brings Fingerprinting, DNA Lab Under One Roof

After two years and more than $20 million in renovations, Montgomery County police have almost fully moved into the new public safety headquarters at 100 Edison Park Dr., a building formerly occupied by the National Geographic Society headquarters.

The $108.5-million headquarters project brings the Montgomery County Police Department headquarters, the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service, the Montgomery County Office of Homeland Security, the First District Police Station and parts of the transportation department under one 408,000-square-foot roof.

The building also houses the police crime lab and the forensic division on the top floor in a state-of-the-art facility.

From traditional finger printing to full DNA analysis, Montgomery County police can do it all in-house rather than sending samples to state offices like other jurisdictions. Nearly 150 agencies statewide use the Maryland State Police labs for testing and crime analysis, according to state police.

“This is just becoming—more and more—every day police work,” said police spokesman Paul Starks during a tour of the renovated facility. “[The new facility] is going to make our work a lot easier and a lot faster.”

The labs are still undergoing renovations and sit as empty rooms, but it’s just a mater of time before beakers, test tubes and lab equipment line the shelves, Starks said.