Built back in 1959, it’s no surprise Troop G outgrew their home in Loudonville. So they broke ground on their new place in Latham back in 2009 and moved in last month. Visitors, like our Megan Cruz, got to go inside for a first look at their bigger, better and energy-efficient troop headquarters.

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LATHAM, N.Y. -- Talk about bringing your work home!

"Basically, we did a contaminated dive. The fire department would wash us off a little bit, but then we have to bring our gear and wash it at home," said Almaro Garcia-Cabrera.

He's a member of the New York State Police Dive Team. He and his fellow divers had no choice because they had no storage space over at their old headquarters in Loudonville. That’s not the case anymore at SP Latham.

"They have dedicated space here where they could wash it down, store it and maintain it so it's always ready to go and serviceable," said New York State Police Superintendent Joseph D'Amico.

Just one of many upgrades the State Police were proud to point out during an open house of their new headquarters.

"Everything in here is designed with a purpose and it's not a purpose that is limited solely to this building," said Troop G Commander Maj. William Sprague. "We serve a lot of other agencies with the personnel and services we provide here.”

That’s why it was a priority of theirs to build a state of the art base that consolidated all their satellite offices. One department that’ll make the move and be improved is their communications center. Before Latham, dispatchers had too small of an office.

“Not being able to hear the patrol or hearing what the complainant on the phone is telling them," said Staff Sgt. Timothy Morris.

He currently works with Division Communications out of an office at the Harridan State Office Campus.

At Latham, Morris says "there’s sound padding on the walls, the ceiling is designed to actually dissipate the sound in the room.”

But this big facility came with a big price tag: $28.5 million. People we spoke with here at the open house say it's a price they're willing to pay.

“Because I'm a citizen and any way the State Police can do a better job to take care of all of us is a good thing," said Bob Perry of Guilderland.

"And I didn't see a lot of extravagance," said Laureen Sharp from Latham. "I just felt like it was a whole lot roomier and a whole lot more up to date.”

Troop G hopes to call SP Latham hope for at least another 50 years.