The Fusion Center Guidelines

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The Fusion Center GuidelinesLaw Enforcement
Intelligence, Public Safety, and the Private
Sector

• Symposium on Justice and Public Safety
  Information Sharing
• March 13, 2006

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Fusion Center GuidelinesLaw Enforcement
Intelligence, Public Safety, and the Private
Sector
Global Justice Information Sharing Initiative
(Global)
Homeland Security Advisory Council (HSAC)
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What Is a Fusion Center?

• A collaborative effort of two or more agencies
  that provide resources, expertise, and/or
  information to the center with the goal of
  maximizing the ability to detect, prevent,
  investigate, apprehend, and respond to criminal
  and terrorist activity

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Why Is the Fusion Process Important?

• Supports an all-source, all-crimes, all-hazards,
  all-threats approach to intelligence
• Blends data from different sources, including law
  enforcement, public safety, and the private
  sector
• Supports risk-based, information-driven
  prevention, response, and consequence management
  programs
• Supports intelligence-led policing
• Fusion is the overarching process of managing the
  flowing of information and intelligence across
  all levels and sectors of government and the
  private sector

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What Are the Guidelines for Fusion Centers?

• NCISP and the Intelligence Process
• Mission Statement and Goals
• Governance
• Collaboration
• Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and
  Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA)
• Database Resources
• Interconnectivity
• Privacy
• Security
• Facility, Location, and Physical Infrastructure

• Human Resources
• Training of Center Personnel
• Multidisciplinary Awareness and Education
• Intelligence Services and Products
• Policies and Procedures
• Center Performance Measurement and Evaluation
• Funding
• Communications

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Key Recommendations From the Focus Groups

• Intelligence is the foundation for the fusion
  center
• Develop functional categories for public safety
  and private sector participation
• Further expand on the fusion process
• Include examples of incorporating the public
  safety and private sector components throughout
  the report
• Develop two-way educational process between
  fusion centers and participating organizations

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Why the Guidelines Are Important

• They ensure that fusion centers are established
  and operated consistently, resulting in enhanced
  coordination efforts, strengthened partnerships,
  and improved crime-fighting and antiterrorism
  capabilities
• They provide assistance to centers as they
  prioritize and address threats posed in their
  specific jurisdictions for all crime types,
  including terrorism
• They help guide administrators in developing
  policies, managing resources, and evaluating
  services
• They support comprehensive information and
  intelligence collection and dissemination from
  all entities that are involved in crime
  prevention, including terrorism

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What Resources Have Been Compiled for Fusion
Centers?

• The Fusion Center Guidelines report
• A companion CD that contains sample policies,
  templates, checklists, resource documents, and
  Web site links has been developed in conjunction
  with the guidelines