As the manager of security operations for the Port of Long Beach, Bridgett Lewis is responsible for maintaining a safe environment within the port complex. This includes overseeing the Central California Maritime Coordination Center (MCC), a Department of Homeland Security Interagency Operations Center located at the port. Lewis coordinates with local, state and federal maritime law enforcement agencies to prevent criminal activity. “Long Beach has one of the most technologically advanced command centers, so we can assist our partners. If anything illicit is happening on our waterways, the MCC will get the information first,” she said. Lewis starts her days by checking in with the firefighters and police officers assigned to the port, the port’s management team and the harbor patrol officers about any incidents that occurred over the previous 24 hours and what they anticipate happening that day. “Most of the things we focus on are driven by the intelligence we receive at the opening meeting [of the day],” Lewis said. “Most of the day is very fluid.” Lewis started her career in law enforcement when she was 19 years old, at the suggestion of a friend who worked as a police officer in her native West Virginia. Lewis described her position at the port as a “dream-come-true job,” and the security division like a family. “If there’s something we need to figure out, we have a joke, ‘let’s go eat about it,’” she said. “We’ll have potlucks, chili cook-offs and barbecues. It’s great to work in an environment that encourages that.”