News Release - Mayor Warren Appoints Michael Cerretto to Lead 9-1-1
City of Rochester
News Release
(Friday, Sept. 21, 2018) -- Mayor Lovely A. Warren announced today that she has named N.Y. State Police Lt. Col. Michael Cerretto as Director of the City of Rochester’s Emergency Communications Department, which operates the 9-1-1 call center.
“The 9-1-1 call center provides our citizens with direct and immediate access to critical lifesaving and public safety services and must operate with the utmost efficiency and effectiveness,” said Mayor Warren. “With his extensive experience and accomplished career as a first responder, I am confident that Mike Cerretto will bring his leadership skills and public safety knowledge to lead our 9-1-1 operations. Mike’s professionalism and experience will equip him to make our first-rate 9-1-1 operation even better so the citizens who rely on 9-1-1 in time of need will be even better served.”
“I am honored and thrilled to work with Mayor Warren and her team in Rochester to lead the Emergency Communications Department,” said Lt. Col. Cerretto. “My three decades in law enforcement have taught me that the men and women of 9-1-1 are the unsung heroes of successful emergency response. I look forward to working in Rochester and taking an already outstanding operation to the next level of excellence.”
Lt. Col. Cerretto is a 31-year veteran of the New York State Police. In that time, he oversaw the consolidation of State Police dispatching operations at Troop A in Batavia; was the captain in charge of the Troop E patrol zone that includes Rochester; and developed a successful statewide counter terrorism operation.
The City of Rochester’s Emergency Communications Department oversees 9-1-1 operations for the City of Rochester and all of Monroe County and handled more than 1.1 million calls for police, fire and EMS services in 2017. The Center is jointly run by the City of Rochester and the County of Monroe.
Lt. Col. Cerretto will begin work on Oct. 1 pending confirmation by the Rochester City Council.
He currently oversees audits for the New York State Police’s Professional Standards Bureau at the Division’s Headquarters. Before that, he served as the Director of the N.Y. State Office of Counter Terrorism (OCT), after he was appointed to the position by Gov. Andrew Cuomo. As Counter Terrorism Director, Lt. Col. Cerretto led all units within OCT and worked closely with the N. Y. State Intelligence Center, the State Police, the New York City Police Department, the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Forces, the Rochester Police Department and other public and private sector partners
Lt. Col. Cerretto implemented one of the most robust “Red Teams” programs in the nation, which in 2017 alone conducted exercises at more than 900 locations across New York’s 62 counties. He also developed a new Cyber Incident Response Team and worked with the public and private sectors to conduct security assessments at critical facilities across the state.
Lt. Col. Cerretto chaired the State’s Executive Committee on Counter Terrorism (ECCT) and sat on the Homeland Security Senior Advisory Committee (HSSAC). In September of 2017, in response to Hurricanes Maria and Jose, Lt. Col. Cerretto led more than 25 Troopers to support hurricane relief efforts in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
As Commander of Troop A in Batavia he supervised more than 400 Troopers and civilians across eight counties. In that role, he oversaw the consolidation and transfer of all State Police dispatching operations in those eight counties to their respective 9-1-1 centers.
He has also served as the Troop E Zone 1 Commander where he supervised more than 70 employees in three counties, including the Greater Rochester area. Lt. Col. Cerretto has served as a Captain for Internal Affairs in Western New York, and was a Lieutenant in the Bureau of Criminal Investigation for Troop E. He has also been an Investigator, Sergeant/Station Commander, and uniformed Trooper with the State Police and is currently among the highest ranking members of the State Police. He is also a veteran of the U.S. Navy.
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