Portland Transportation Director Jeff Monroe told the Senate Homeland Security Committee this morning that Washington needs to do a better job of coordinating different aspects of port security.

Maine Sen. Susan Collins is the ranking Republican on the committee, which was reviewing progress over the past year since Collins’ SAFE Port Act became law. Collins said the Department of Homeland Security has made good progress in implementing the act’s provisions, but that more progress is needed in processing background applications by port workers.

Monroe, who is director of ports and transportation in Portland, said the city’s port is a relatively small but security there is as important as in larger ports because a terrorist attack would have regional consequences. He said larger ports and national leadership could draw lessons from Portland, which has successfully integrated its security procedures with different agencies and neighboring cities.