b'DELIVERING THE FUTUREof capabilities with communications tools available at the time. That experience never left him, he said. I wish I could say that the gap that existed then has been closed, but it still exists.I always felt like a servant to the people under my command, said Patterson, who as DEA administrator, oversaw 16,000 employees in 92 offices around the world. In law enforcement and public safety in general, there is no such thing as an acceptable level of loss. Every single person has to make it home safe every night.When he was contemplating retiring from government for a role in the private sector, Patterson said there was a high bar his prospective employer had to clear. The public safety community is a tough and cynical crowd when it comes to companies making promises, Patterson explained. In part, this skepticism is healthy, because it helps keep personnel safe. It also means companies have to back up their promises with action. Patterson said there were a number of factors that drew him to AT&T. Not least was the companys long heritage supporting the federal government. Going all the way back to World War II, the head of Bell Laboratories personally briefed the Joint Chiefs of Staff on leveraging technology to defeat the Axis powers and perfected radar and sonar technologies during that conflict. Later, AT&T worked with the FCC to establish the technology behind the 911 system in In public safety, a failurethe U.S.in communications is notThe companys commitment to supporting cutting-edge technologyan option. continues through investments in its own solutions and a full commitment to theRob Patterson // Senior Director, AT&T Public Safetybuildout and growth of FirstNet. It was AT&Ts work during another more recent disaster that also proved decisive for Patterson: to help Puerto Rico start recovering from Hurricane Maria. 3'