By Amanda Kwan, Media Relations Staff

For anyone in a highly sensitive security job, it’s important to know the rules by the book. In the case of Michael Edgerton, the new security director of the Port of New York and New Jersey, he literally wrote it.

Edgerton, named to lead the port’s security efforts in January 2020, is the author of “A Practitioner’s Guide to Effective Maritime and Port Security,” published in 2013. His book, which calls on the international port industry to treat security as a form of risk management, is now used as a textbook in the maritime security field and details the prevention strategies he hopes to bring to the Port Authority.

“If a port simply complies with international code, they’re doing it to satisfy a legal requirement,” said Edgerton, during an interview in recognition of National Preparedness Month this month. “My view is that a port, in order to be both competitive and to exercise due diligence, needs to look at security as something beyond a government mandate.”

As the seaport’s security director, Edgerton is continuing an outstanding tradition of exceptional leadership in securing the Port Authority’s port facilities in both New York and New Jersey.

Current Deputy Port Director Beth Rooney was on the port technology team on 9/11. By the next day, she’d been reassigned the responsibility of securing the seaport as the nation grappled with new fears of attacks against its infrastructure – a position she ended up holding for 14 years. Rooney helped draft legislation that now serves as the anchor of national maritime security.

Edgerton arrived just two months before the coronavirus pandemic changed life, and has yet to meet many colleagues in person as they continue to work from home. Although the work situation is unusual, his job remains as important as ever, considering recent events such as the deadly explosion in the Port of Beirut this year.

After Beirut, port officials were inundated with questions on the likelihood of a similar incident here. With his background in the Coast Guard, one of the federal entities tasked with inspecting incoming cargo declared as “dangerous goods,” Edgerton already knew the answer: No, not here. Federal regulations require such goods to adhere to strict fire safety and security protocols, including segregation of materials expressly to avoid incidents similar to the Beirut explosion. The port has in place strict requirements for storage of anything deemed dangerous.

“The security and safety of our facilities is our top priority,” said Port Director Sam Ruda. “It is essential to have a seasoned professional like Mike on our team to keep our nationally recognized security program running and to stay ahead of emerging risks and threats.”

After a childhood spent partly in Europe, Edgerton considered the diplomatic corps after college, where he majored in international relations. Edgerton also holds a master’s degree in strategic intelligence from the National Intelligence University in Washington, D.C. — details of that advanced degree are withheld for obvious reasons. After seven years in the Navy that included an assignment in nuclear weapons security, he transferred to the Coast Guard with a focus on port security.

Having spent the better part of 30 years in the tri-state area, Edgerton took his current job for the challenge of its size, name recognition and reputation. “I found it in really good shape, but I want to leave it better than how I found it,” he said, citing improved cyber-security as one of his goals.