Verizon announced that it will make its First Responder Advisory Council, a coalition of the nation’s most respected public safety leaders, available to current and prospective Verizon public safety agency customers through a series of upcoming events and meetings. The first event on Aug. 18 -- Public Safety in 2020 -- will be a panel discussion on public safety service in these unprecedented times.

Formed in 2019, the VFRAC includes representatives from all facets of the public safety community, including former leaders in emergency management, fire, public health and law enforcement. The Council helps advise Verizon on various aspects of its work with public safety agencies including strategy, product development and public policy initiatives, helping to ensure the services and solutions developed for public safety meet the needs of first responders.

 “The mission of public safety agencies to serve communities has not changed in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic, but everything else about their jobs has been altered in the last six months,” said Andrés Irlando, senior vice president and president, Public Sector and Verizon Connect at Verizon. “At such a critical time for our nation, and knowing what a tremendous resource the Verizon First Responder Advisory Council has been to us internally, it made perfect sense to make its members’ expertise, insights and wealth of experience available directly to our customers and all first responders across the country.”

On Tuesday, August 18, members of the public safety community are invited to participate in an open discussion with Council members during a Virtual Town Hall (online) on the topic of Public Safety in 2020, sponsored and hosted by Verizon.

Council members participating in the town hall include:

• Commissioner William Bratton - Commissioner, NYPD & Chief, LAPD (ret); Vice-Chair, Homeland Security Advisory Council, Chairman, Teneo Risk;
• Dr. Jerry Hauer - Commissioner, New York State Homeland Security and Emergency Management Commissioner (ret);
• Chief Daniel Oates - Police Chief, Miami Beach, Ann Arbor, MI and Aurora, CO (ret);
• Chief Ed Plaugher - Chief - Arlington County Fire (ret);
• Commissioner Charles Ramsey - Commissioner, Philadelphia Police Department and Chief, Metropolitan (DC) Police Department (ret);
• Karen Tandy - Administrator, Drug Enforcement Agency (ret); Member, Homeland Security Advisory Council; and
• Chief Scott Thomson - Chief of Police, Camden County (ret).

“Council members draw on decades of experience in leading the nation’s public safety agencies to our work on the Verizon First Responder Advisory Council,” said Commissioner Bratton, “This expertise has never been more important. The Council is committed to helping Verizon and its public safety customers ensure that emergency management, fire and law enforcement communities have the resources and technologies they need to keep communities safe and protected.”

The Verizon Public Safety Advisory Council is comprised of the following individuals:

• William J. Bratton, Chair (Vice Chairman, Homeland Security Advisory Council; Police Commissioner, New York and Boston (Ret.); Chief, LAPD (Ret.); Chairman, Teneo Risk)
• David Cagno (Lieutenant Commander, NYPD (Ret.))
• Salvatore J. Cassano (Fire Commissioner, FDNY (Ret.))
• Jerome M. Hauer (Commissioner, Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, State of New York (Ret.); Commissioner, NYC Office of Emergency Management (Ret.); Acting Assistant Secretary, Office of Public Health Emergency Preparedness, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (Ret.))
• Sandy Jo MacArthur (Assistant Chief, Office of Administrative Services, LAPD (Ret.); Captain, Civil Rights Integrity Division, LAPD (Ret.))
• Kenneth L. Morckel (Director of Public Safety, State of Ohio (Ret.); Superintendent, Ohio State Highway Patrol (Ret.))
• Daniel J. Oates (Police Chief, Miami Beach, FL; Ann Arbor, MI; and Aurora, CO & Deputy Chief, NYPD (Ret.))
• Judith Pal (Assistant Commissioner, NYPD (Ret.); Chief of Staff, Baltimore and Milwaukee Police Departments (Ret.); Communications Lead, City of Irvine, CA, and Atlanta and Savannah, GA Police (Ret.))
• Edward P. Plaugher (Fire Chief, Arlington County, VA (Ret.); Deputy Fire Chief, Fairfax County, VA (Ret.); Assistant Executive Director, International Association of Fire Chief (Ret.))
• Brett C. Railey (Chief of Police, City of Winter Park, FL (Ret.))
• Charles H. Ramsey (Public Safety Advisor, U.S. Conference of Mayors; Commissioner, Philadelphia Police Department (Ret.); Chief, Metropolitan Police Department, District of Columbia (Ret.))
• Ellis M. Stanley, Sr. (Chair, Global Board of Directors, International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM); Director, Atlanta-Fulton County Emergency Management Agency (Ret.); General Manager, Emergency Preparedness Department, City of Los Angeles (Ret.))
• Karen P. Tandy (Member, Homeland Security Advisory Council; Administrator, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (Ret.); U.S. Associate Deputy Attorney General (Ret.); Past Chairwoman, Board of Directors, National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund;)
• J. Scott Thomson (Past President, Police Executive Research Forum, Chief of Police, Camden County, NJ (Ret.), President, Police Executive Research Forum (Ret.))