HOUSTON, Dec. 19, 2008 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Port of Houston Authority (PHA) announces that veteran law enforcement officer Mark Smith is its new Police Chief. As the senior law enforcement official in the Port Police, Smith is responsible for the planning and execution of the department's maritime security and law enforcement functions. He is an integral member of the department's management team and has approximately 60 direct reports who work 24 hours, seven days a week.
A photo accompanying this release is available at http://media.primezone.com/poha/gallery/display?o=2689&pkgid=5718
Smith brings more than 27 years of police experience and an impressive education background to the position. He comes to PHA after serving as the Director of Safe and Secure Schools for Clear Creek Independent School District and previously served as the chief of police for the Galveston ISD and city of Crandall. Smith retired from the Dallas Police Department after 23 years of service.
"I welcome Mark to the Port Security & Emergency Operations team at PHA," says Bill Crews, Port Security & Emergency Operations Manager. "His diverse, in-depth background in both law enforcement and maritime security make him the perfect fit for carrying out the department's mission."
"I look forward to working with the members of the PHA Police Department, employees, tenants and port community stakeholders in keeping the Port of Houston Authority a safe and secure environment," Smith says. "And I appreciate Bill Crews for giving me this opportunity."
He holds a Master of Business Administration from Amberton University and a Bachelor of Science degree in police administration from Eastern Kentucky University. He has logged nearly 3,000 classroom hours in education courses on law enforcement and emergency management, including completion of the Leadership Command College from the Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas. He is a Master Peace Officer, a certified instructor by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Education and a volunteer fire fighter in League City.
The Port of Houston Authority owns and operates the public facilities located along the Port of Houston, the 25-mile-long complex of diversified public and private facilities designed for handling general cargo, containers, grain and other dry bulk materials, project and heavy lift cargo, and other types of cargo. Each year, more than 7,700 vessels call at the port, which ranks first in the U.S. in foreign waterborne tonnage and second in overall total tonnage. The port authority plays a vital role in ensuring navigational safety along the Houston Ship Channel, which has been instrumental in Houston's development as a center of international trade. The Barbours Cut Container Terminal and Central Maintenance Facility are the first of any U.S. port facilities to develop and implement an innovative Environmental Management System that meets the rigorous standards of ISO 14001. PHA is the first port authority in the world to receive ISO 28000:2007 certification for Port Police and the perimeter security operations at both the Barbours Cut and Bayport Terminals. Additionally, the port is an approved delivery point for Coffee "C" futures contracts traded on the New York Board of Trade's Coffee, Sugar & Cocoa Exchange. For more information, please visit www.portofhouston.com
The Port of Houston Authority logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=720
To access the port's Web site photo gallery, please visit http://www.portofhouston.com/publicrelations/publicrelations.html and click the link for PHA Photo Gallery.
