PRESS RELEASE
WASHINGTON — METIS, a pioneer in AI powered intelligence solutions, is launching its North American headquarters in Washington, D.C., and announcing Dr. Joseph J. Lestrange will be joining the executive team as Executive Vice President, Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer for North America. This strategic move signals METIS’ commitment to furthering its presence in the region and enhancing its capabilities to serve clients across North America.
Situated in the heart of Washington, D.C., only three blocks away from the White House, the new North American headquarters located in the historic Southern Railway Building at 1500 K Street NW, will serve as a center for innovation, collaboration, and strategic partnerships. With this prime location, METIS aims to leverage the dynamic ecosystem of both the nation’s capital and Northern Virginia Tech Corridor to drive innovation and meet the evolving needs of clients in law enforcement, public safety, and security organizations.
“We are excited to launch our North American headquarters in D.C., a region synonymous with innovation, technology, and a thriving workforce,” said Natan Bandler, CEO of METIS. “This strategic expansion underscores our dedication to democratizing the responsible use of AI-driven big-data analysis and augmented intelligence within law enforcement, public safety and security organizations across the globe.”
This headquarters will be led by Dr. Lestrange, who brings with him a wealth of knowledge and experience gained during his distinguished career at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). He served more than three decades as a commissioned federal law enforcement officer in multiple international, national, regional, and local leadership roles.
In his last year of government service, Dr. Lestrange was appointed as Senior Agency Official to the U.S. Council on Transnational Organized Crime - Strategic Division, created by President Biden via Executive Order to develop “whole of government” solutions. A focus of this role was to determine how best to use new technologies, such as AI, to solve complex public safety and national security challenges.
Dr. Lestrange’s extensive background in public safety and national security, coupled with his deep understanding of AI technology, and his fellowship at the Future Policing Institute, Center on Policing and Artificial Intelligence, uniquely positions him to drive METIS’s strategic initiatives and client engagements in these critical sectors.
“I am honored to join METIS and lead its efforts in the design, development, and delivery of responsible AI solutions that will help reduce crime, counter emerging threats, and enhance public safety and security at an affordable price,” said Dr. Lestrange. “I look forward to leveraging our pioneering AI-driven technology to augment intelligence collection and analysis and provide a robust investigative platform that addresses the many complex challenges we are facing in policing and public safety across North America.”
In his previous positions at the DHS, Dr. Lestrange played a key role in shaping policies and strategies to safeguard the nation’s trade, travel, and financial infrastructure and protect against emerging threats to the homeland, both foreign and domestic. He retired in 2022 as the Division Chief of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Public Safety and National Security Division, where he provided global executive oversight over multiple agency law enforcement, intelligence, and investigation units, as well as all public safety related programs, federal task forces and inter-agency operational initiatives.
Dr. Lestrange spent the last 18 months as a consultant, working with METIS to develop its business strategy for North America. His leadership, expertise and knowledge of public safety and national security will be instrumental as METIS continues creating innovative solutions that are affordable and accessible to all sizes of police and public safety agencies across the continent.