The Tacoma Police Department opened the doors of its new three-story, 72,000-square-foot headquarters to city leaders, retired police officers, and Tacoma residents last night during a ribbon-cutting ceremony designed to showcase the first permanent home for the department in more than 75 years.

The new headquarters, which was funded through a $34.3 million bond that voters approved in 2002 for the facility and four substations, is home to the department’s Administrative, Operations, and Investigations Bureaus, and includes an adjacent public meeting area for 30 people. It is also the first municipal “green” building, with environmentaly friendly features that include an overall design that allows the maximum amount of available sunlight into the building, a glass wall at the south side of the building that optimizes daylight and enhances heating, and native landscaping that will require minimal watering.

The headquarters also feature a public memorial for police officers killed in the line of duty. “We finally have an honorable way to pay tribute to those officers who paid the ultimate price,” said Chief Ramsdell.

The City broke ground on the site in April 2004. The headquarters are located at 3701 S. Pine St. It is only the second new building built for the department in its 120-year history.