Mayor Fulop Reimagines Public Safety with Jersey City’s First Public-facing Police & Fire Headquarters

JERSEY CITY – Mayor Steven M. Fulop joined City Council members, Public Safety officials, and community members today for the highly anticipated opening of the Public Safety Headquarters building along MLK Drive, centralizing public safety services and resources for the first time in Jersey City’s history for more efficient and effective law enforcement operations. The new HQ brings the vision Mayor Fulop launched in 2015 of an extensive municipal complex to reality, inclusive of public-facing city services, thousands of jobs, and bringing investment into the south and west areas of Jersey City.

“This fourth and final building in Jackson Square completes our historic investment in the heart of Ward F. Decades in the making, with this City Hall Annex, we have established a one-stop hub for residents to easily access the critical services they rely on – from affordable housing resources and vital healthcare services to economic development offices and as of today, all emergency response operations,” said Mayor Fulop.

The Public Safety building is the largest of the four Jackson Square buildings, with 11 floors of municipal offices, a one-stop-shop permitting station, conference rooms, and a 9-1-1 Communications and Dispatch Center.

For decades, all Public Safety offices - JCPD, JCFD, Traffic Operations, Parking Enforcement, and the Quality of Life Division - operated out of multiple buildings scattered throughout the City. Located on MLK Drive in the heart of Jersey City’s Bergen-Lafayette community, the new HQ will boost public safety by centralizing Police and Fire Department operations and personnel under one roof to streamline critical services, improve 9-1-1 response times, provide one-stop resident services, and increase police presence in the area around the clock.

“This is a major milestone for Jersey City and a major step forward in reimagining public safety,” said Council President Joyce Watterman. “This new facility will allow us to better serve our residents and visitors, and will provide our police and fire departments with the resources they need to keep our community safe.”

“Crime has consistently decreased in key areas citywide since Mayor Fulop took office. Today’s opening of our new Headquarters is the latest step to further improve public safety in every corner of Jersey City,” said Public Safety Director James Shea.

On the ground level, Jersey City’s first-ever Police and Fire Recruitment Center will be open daily for visitors to enjoy a museum-like interactive exhibit designed to welcome students and families to visit the Headquarters. The exhibit includes a decommissioned fire truck and police cruiser for kids to experience, along with a police training station, CPR station, fingerprinting station, and more.

Jersey City Police Director Tawana Moody has been closely involved with the project. “We built the Recruitment Center as a welcoming place to empower Jersey City’s youth to consider a future career as a first responder. We are already lining up local schools to bring busloads of students here on field trips, so everyone is very excited for what’s to come.”

“We are happy to be part of another important project furthering the redevelopment of Jackson Square,” added Eric Moore, President of Brandywine Financial Services.

Utilizing the same architects who have built iconic exhibits at national museums such as the Smithsonian Institution, the Recruitment Center and Interactive Exhibit on the ground floor of the new Headquarters building is a uniquely imaginative space.