Cosmo Perrone, the director of security at the Port of Long Beach for six years, retired this week.

“He has been a tremendous asset to this organization,” said Port Executive Director, Richard D. Steinke, “and will be leaving this port in a far better position than when he arrived.”

“Before Sept. 11, 2001, port security around the country focused largely on deterring cargo theft,” Steinke said. “But in the post-9/11 world, protecting potential targets like the Port of Long Beach against terrorist threats became a high priority.”

During his tenure, Perrone took port security into the computer age with port-wide domain awareness systems that include surveillance cameras, radar, sonar and other technology deployed throughout the port complex, added Steinke.