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Fusion Centers

Fusion Center Guidleines
http://it.ojp.gov/fusioncenterguidelines/intro.html
http://it.ojp.gov/documents/fusion_center_guidelines.pdf
http://it.ojp.gov/documents/fusion_center_executive_summary.pdf
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in cooperation drafted a set of guidelines for the development and operation of fusions centers.

“The Way Forward With Fusion Centers: Challenges and Strategies for Change”

http://homeland.house.gov/hearings/index.asp?ID=90

The link above directs the user to transcripts of a Congressional hearing regarding fusion centers. The transcripts contain testimony from several subject matter experts.

“Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007”
http://www.epic.org/privacy/fusion/hr1-law.pdf
The “Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007” establishes training requirements for fusion center personnel in regards to privacy and civil liberty issues.

Fusion Centers: Issues and Options for Congress
http://www.epic.org/privacy/fusion/
This 2007 Congressional Research Service report, Fusion Centers: Issues and Options for Congress, informs Congress on the development and operation of the more than forty established fusion centers around the nation.

Spotlight on Surveillance
http://www.epic.org/privacy/surveillance/spotlight/0607/
The Electronic Privacy Information Center’s Spotlight on Surveillance report looks at the establishment of United States fusion centers. The report covers the history, implementation, guidelines, and goals of fusion centers around the United States.

The National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace
http://usinfo.state.gov/journals/itgic/1103/ijge/gj11.htm
In the report released by the White House, fundamental objectives for securing cyberspace are to develop a national cyberspace security response system; a national cyberspace security threat and vulnerability reduction program; national cyberspace security awareness and training program, securing governments’ cyberspace; and national security and international cyberspace security cooperation. Furthermore, the report details methods to develop and implement such changes to better secure the homeland.

Fusion Center Guidelines
http://it.ojp.gov/documents/fusion_center_guidelines.pdf
The document provided by the Department of Justice offers a guideline to create and run a fusion center at the federal, state, and local levels. Fusion centers are a vital tool to facilitate interoperability between all levels of the government and the private sector to help prevent attacks against the homeland.

Guidelines
http://www.it.ojp.gov/topic.jsp?topic_id=209
The Department of Justice details guidelines to the operation of fusion centers. The primary purpose of a fusion center is to optimize the mutual effort of the government at every level to protect the homeland and prevent criminal acts.

http://it.ojp.gov/documents/fusion_center_guidelines_law_enforcement.pdf
The document provided by the Department of Justice details guidelines for how fusion centers are intended to operate; including security, interconnectivity, goals of the centers, security, training objectives, and funding.

State and Local Fusion Centers
http://www.dhs.gov/xinfoshare/programs/gc_1156877184684.shtm
The Department of Homeland Security provides a basic, brief overview of fusion centers and their purpose. As of September 14, 2006, the Department of Homeland Security had created 38 fusion centers nationwide. The Department has allocated more than $380 million to state and local governments to create and run such centers.

Testimony, 2007
http://www.fbi.gov/congress/congress07/mines092707.htm
In the Congressional Testimony of Michael C. Mines, the Deputy Assistant Director for the Directorate of Intelligence for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Assistant Director reviews the implementation and workings of fusion centers since they began in 2004.

Testimony: State and Local Fusion Center Programs, 2007
http://hsc.house.gov/SiteDocuments/20070314172323-14515.pdf
In the testimony by Daniel W. Sutherland, Officer for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties for the Department of Homeland Security, Sutherland details methods to improve the Department of Homeland Security’s use of fusion centers in accordance with the protection and sustenance of civil rights and liberties.

Homeland Security, 2007
http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d071241thigh.pdf
The Government Accountability Office’s study into fusion centers reveals many issues that may affect the Department of Homeland Security’s ability to optimally run the fusion centers due to financial constraints, technological inconsistencies in departments and agencies, and incongruent security clearance levels.

(IN EACH STATE)
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/odp/docs/NPB_Fusion_Centers.pdf
The document provided by the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs details the Department of Homeland Security’s monetary allocations for each state through the Department’s Grant Program.

Testimony
http://homelandsecurity.house.gov/SiteDocuments/20070314172345-08973.pdf
On 14 March 2007, Hugo Tuefel III, Chief Privacy Officer at the Department of Homeland Security, testified before the Committee on Homeland Security at the House of Representatives on fusion centers and related topics. Fusion centers merge local law enforcement with pertinent data analysis at the federal level to more efficiently moderate and prevent threats in local communities. A vital mechanism to the just nature of the fusion centers is to uphold critical privacy restrictions to ensure one’s civil rights are not violated.

Executive Speech, 2007
http://www.fbi.gov/pressrel/speeches/pistole030707.htm
Deputy Director of the FBI, John S. Pistole speaks about the implementation and overall effectiveness of fusion centers at the National Fusion Center Conference, 7 March 2007. Fusion centers enable the dissemination of information from local beat cops to federal agents and investigators. Such centers serve as a centralized point for intelligence collection and dispersal. The centers focus primarily on the prevention of crime and terrorism.

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