A new facility designed to ease information-sharing between border law enforcement agencies in Arizona has been unveiled by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
The $16 million Intelligence and Operations Coordination Center will operate as a communications hub, Janie Young, director of the center, said at a ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday.
The facility is at the Border Patrol's Tucson Sector headquarters.
It will streamline the process of receiving intelligence in real time, then analyze and disseminate it throughout the agency, Young said.
The dedication came days after the shooting death of Robert Krentz, a Cochise County rancher who was killed on his property, possibly by a smuggler who may have escaped into Mexico.
U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer - both of whom spoke at the ceremony - have called for the National Guard to return to the border in response to incidents of violence.
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But that is not the only solution to securing the area, said David V. Aguilar, acting deputy commissioner of Customs and Border Protection. He also is a former Border Patrol sector chief here.
"There is a need for enforcement capability," Aguilar said.
"Anything that we can do that can bring security to our nations' borders is critically important, not just (with) the National Guard, not just (with) boots on the ground, but the collective effort of what we are doing."
The facility also has the capability of serving as a central command center during a natural disaster, a CBP press release said.
Also Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security transferred an array of equipment to Mexico's Secretariat of Public Safety to beef up law enforcement there.
The equipment includes 10 all-terrain vehicles, four off-road motorcycles, 50 Global Positioning Systems, 30 rechargeable flashlights, 20 mountain bikes and other assorted equipment.
