SANTA ANA, Calif.—Reps. Mike Levin (D-Calif.) and Young Kim (R-Calif.) teamed up with Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes Aug. 31 to tout nearly $3.5 million in funding for a new sheriff’s facility that will help combat terrorism, school shootings, and other types of crimes.
The Orange County Intelligence Assessment Center, which is currently housed in a 4,000-square-foot facility in Orange, is expected to be moved into a 120,000-square-foot facility in Tustin sometime next year if the federal funding is approved this fall.
The center has been open since 2007 and has been effective at combating crimes regionally, Barnes said.
“We’ve been in the business of counter-terrorism efforts before 9/11,” he said of the regional approach to crime that evolved into the Orange County Intelligence Assessment Center. “It’s the second-highest producing fusion center in the nation,” he added. “It’s received numerous accolades and awards.”…