A modest crowd gathered on the northwest corner of WSU Ogden campus Thursday at 1 p.m. to commemorate the opening of the new Public Safety building.

Giant purple scissors in hand, WSU police Chief Dane LeBlanc helped cut a purple ribbon held up by a line of police officers and other university officials, including WSU President Charles Wight.

“In order for Weber State University to provide a quality education, safety is of utmost importance,” Wight said before the ribbon cutting. “Learning requires focus, and it can only take place when our students and our staff feel safe.”

The culmination of nearly 10 months of construction, the new 10,000-square-foot-building houses both campus parking services and the WSU police department. It features open spaces, natural lighting and solar panels to provide much of the facility’s needed power.

According to the official press release, a new “smart wall”, with feeds from campus security cameras, will allow police to see what is happening around campus in real time.

The building can also be converted into an emergency operations center in the event of a campus emergency.