IRVINE

Just days before they were to be unveiled to the public, police activated two emergency response centers to coordinate the excavation of potentially hazardous chemicals from a Woodbridge neighborhood and evacuate residents from the area.

“Usually when you christen a ship, you christen the ship, then it takes its maiden voyage,” said City Manager Allison Hart at a dedication ceremony this week that was meant to officially open the center.

But the attempted slaying of Irvine executive James Patrick Riley and the apparent suicide of his partner, Larry Ford, prompted a multi-agency dig of Ford’s yard in search of ammunition and hazardous waste.