A nationally recognized consultant and well-known author, Leonard Matarese is Director of Research and Public Safety Programs. He is responsible for managing all services relating to police, fire, and emergency management systems. He has over 43 years of public service experience, having served as police officer, deputy sheriff, police chief, director of public safety, city manager, and commissioner of human resources in five states.

As police chief and municipal manager in Florida, he was elected president of the Miami-Dade County Association of Chiefs of Police. He has also served as chairman of the U.S. Customs Service, Blue Lightning Strike Force, a 71-agency drug interdiction / anti-terrorism task force in Southeast Florida. Mr. Matarese holds a master’s degree in public administration and a bachelor’s degree in political science.