Government of the District of
Columbia
Executive Office of the Mayor
Office of Communications
Tony Bullock
Director
For Immediate Release
Monday, January 26, 2004 |
Contact: Tony Bullock
202-368-4831 (cell)
Sharon Gang
202-727-9811 |
New 911 Director to Begin in February
(Washington, DC) Mayor Anthony A. Williams today announced the appointment of Michael Latessa as Director of the Public Safety Communications Center (PSCC). The PSCC is the 911/311 operations center for the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and the Fire and Emergency Medical Services (FEMS) Department.
Latessa comes to the District of Columbia from Norwalk, CT, where he was the first director of the newly established joint communications center. Latessa began his public safety career 30 years ago as a dispatcher in Durham, NH. He served as a firefighter and paramedic in several metropolitan areas, and he served as the Director of the Public Safety Department in Manatee County, FL, from 1988 to 1998. Latessa was employed in the private sector for several years and returned to public service in Norwalk in July 2003.
“We have made significant strides in improving our 911 services but Mike is the right person to take us to the next level,” Mayor Williams said. “I am pleased that we are able to bring him here to the District, and I’m confident that he’s going to manage this operation so that we are not just meeting but exceeding our performance goals.”
Latessa will begin his new position on February 9, 2004. Because the PSCC is a joint operation of MPD and FEMS, Latessa will report directly to the Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice.
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E. Michael Latessa
Director, Unified Communications Center
E. Michael Latessa brings more than 30 years of
experience in local and state public safety management to the District
of Columbia. He joins the District from the City of Norwalk, CT, where
he was the first Director of the newly established Emergency
Communications/Emergency Management. In this role, Mr. Latessa
facilitated the merger of two physically and organizationally separate
public communication operations into a consolidated 911 and
communications organization.
From 1998 to 2003, Mr. Latessa worked in the private
sector, as Director of Billing Services for Sky Asset Management
Services, Incorporated, in Clearwater, FL, and as the Health, Safety and
Security Administrator and Training Administrator for Hi-Stat
Manufacturing/Stoneridge Company, in Sarasota, FL. At Hi-Stat
Manufacturing/Stoneridge Company, he was responsible for the health,
safety and security of more than 600 employees in a round-the-clock
manufacturing environment.
Mr. Latessa served as the Director of the Manatee County
Government Public Safety Department from 1988 to 1998, where he managed
a budget of $10 million, which supported seven emergency service
divisions that served a population of 300,000 and covered 720 square
miles. Mr. Latessa began his public safety career 30 years ago as a
dispatcher, and worked as a firefighter and paramedic in several
metropolitan areas before moving into public safety management. He has
been an adjunct faculty member at the National Emergency Training Center
of the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, MD since 1981.
Mr. Latessa received a Bachelor of Science from the
Wittemore School of Business and Economics from the University of New
Hampshire and a Masters in Public Administration from the University of
South Florida. He has also published several articles in Fire Command, EMT Journal, Firehouse
Magazine, Rescue Magazine, and ferns.
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