Fusion Centers
Since September 11, 2001 and the resulting creation of the Department of Homeland Security, the relationship between federal law enforcement agencies, their state and local colleagues, and private sector security organizations has changed significantly. Perhaps nowhere is this change more evident than in the creation of state and regional Information Fusion Centers. Under the Fusion Center Guidelines developed in 2005 by DHS and DOJ, these entities are intended to be hubs for the collection, analysis and dissemination of information related to terrorism and other criminal activity. In the area of counterterrorism, they play the critical role of being the place where threat, vulnerability, and locally collected, tactical intelligence meet.
According to DHS, as of the end of 2006 no fewer than 43 such centers were in operation. And while the DHS/DOJ guidelines provide a comprehensive roadmap for designing and managing a fusion center, the structure and specific mission of the various centers in operation vary widely. This disparity is due to differences in the philosophies of the organizations managing the centers, the lack of a mature methodology for articulating and achieving the mission, and a still developing set of technology tools required to support the fusion process.
Fusion centers are in most cases staffed by a combination of sworn and civilian law enforcement personnel. However, as indicated above, the specific division of duties and dynamics of interaction among various personnel varies. To best understand the complexity of the fusion center concept and the challenges facing those working in them, one must first examine the perspectives and biases of the various stakeholder categories. They include:
- The Federal Govt. - FBI, other DOJ departments, and several departments within DHS
- State & Local Govt. - Sworn and civilian law enforcement personnel, Governors/Mayors/Chiefs, other first responders
- Business & industry
- The Public - Individual citizens
D.M. Rattner & Associates has experience in both fusion center organization and operations. Dan Rattner participated in the development of the Fusion Center Guidelines and subsequently served as an on-site consultant to a major regional fusion center.