The grand opening of the Norman Emergency Communications & Operations Center (ECOC) will be celebrated with a ribbon cutting ceremony at 9 a.m. on August 27. The public is welcome to attend this community event with remarks from City officials and then tour the new facility located at 2801 E. Robinson Street.

The ECOC is a state-of-the-art facility that will house emergency communications, emergency operations, incident command, traffic management, and other critical services for Norman. Constructed as a fully hardened facility, the ECOC was designed to withstand the impacts of the diverse Oklahoma weather and safely protect those providing critical life-saving functions of our city government.

“The ECOC is a technology-rich facility that will greatly enhance the city’s ability to provide critical services to our community,” said Norman Police Department Major and Project Manager Brent Barbour. “This facility will also help propel us into new and innovative opportunities to enhance emergency services as well as the ways we plan, prepare, and respond together to save lives, create stability, and protect property during emergencies.”

With a project cost of nearly $20 million, the ECOC is funded by the Public Safety Sales Tax II approved by Norman citizens in 2014 as well as additional funding allocated from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. It was designed by Architects Design Group of Florida and constructed by Crossland Construction of Oklahoma City.  

“This facility has been built to provide fully redundant utility, communication, and technology resources necessary to operate fully isolated from the systems likely to be impacted by the very incidents managed within its walls,” said Major Barbour. “We are excited to see this long-term vision become a reality and for the public to get an inside look at the future of emergency communications and operations in Norman.”

Parking for attendees will be available onsite. The ECOC will be completely operational in September 2024.