Second National Fusion Center Conference Fosters Greater Collaboration

More than 900 federal, state and local law enforcement and homeland security officials recently attended the National Fusion Center Conference in Washington, D.C. to further the U.S. government’s plans to create a seamless network of these centers.

The second annual conference was jointly sponsored by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Office of the Program Manager for the Information Sharing Environment and the Global Justice Information Sharing Initiative. Participants discussed how to best incorporate fusion centers at the state level and in major urban areas into national plans to improve the sharing of information related to terrorism -- a key goal of a strategy that President Bush released last October.

After the 9/11 attacks, states and various U.S. localities established information fusion centers to coordinate the gathering, analysis, and sharing of homeland security, terrorism, and law enforcement intelligence. Today there are more than 50 operational centers in 46 states.

“Working together -- leveraging federal as well as state and local networks; moving relevant information and intelligence quickly; enabling rapid analytic and operational judgments -- that is what this network of centers is all about,” said Charles E. Allen, Homeland Security Undersecretary for Intelligence and Analysis, in his opening remarks at the conference, which was held March 18-20 at the Hilton San Francisco.

Added Russell M. Porter, Director of the Iowa State Fusion Center: “Establishing a national, integrated network of fusion centers isn't solely a federal effort.

“State, local, and tribal officials have been and will continue to be actively engaged in every step of the process,” said Porter, who also serves as Chair of the Criminal Intelligence Coordinating Committee.

Arthur M. Cummings II, Executive Assistant Director of the FBI’s National Security Branch, emphasized the importance of maintaining a unified front. Fusion centers, he said, “are an effective and efficient mechanism for exchanging information by merging data from a variety of sources to produce actionable intelligence for consumers, such as the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Forces and local police departments.”

Moreover, stakeholders must stay vigilant, said Bart R. Johnson, ODNI’s Director for Homeland Security and Law Enforcement Support and Outreach.

“Terrorism remains a credible and ongoing threat to our country,” he said. “The ODNI and all of the relevant federal, state, local, and tribal agencies must maintain the focus on and commitment to collaboration to mitigate this threat.”

To that end, bureaucratic turf wars would be extremely counterproductive.

“Law enforcement and justice agencies at all levels need to find ways to overcome obstacles to sharing information -- and the U.S. Justice Department is committed to providing the resources and assistance necessary to make sharing as easy as possible,” said Domingo S. Herraiz, Director of the Office of Justice Programs’ Bureau of Justice Assistance at DOJ.

On the whole, fusion centers play a decisive role, said Ambassador Thomas McNamara, Program Manager for the Information Sharing Environment.

“They are a critical part of President Bush’s National Strategy for Information Sharing,” McNamara said. “They strengthen the nation’s ability to protect communities from future attacks.”

Featured

  • AI to Help Resolve Non-Emergency Calls Across Utah and Decrease 911 Caller Wait Times

    The Utah Communications Authority (UCA), which oversees the state’s next generation 911 technology services, recently announced that public safety answering points (PSAPs) throughout the state plan to implement Motorola Solutions’ Virtual Response technology to automate the receipt and resolution of 10-digit non-emergency line calls in Utah with the help of AI. Read Now

  • Report: 2025 Video Surveillance Market Set to Grow After Small Decline in 2024

    Novaira Insights has unveiled its latest report, “World Market for Video Surveillance Hardware and Software – 2025 Edition.” The research indicates that the global market for video surveillance hardware and software experienced a slight decline of 0.3% in 2024. This performance fell short of previous forecasts, primarily due to a significant decrease of 7.8% in the Chinese market. Conversely, the rest of the world saw a growth of 4.9%. The global market for video surveillance equipment was estimated to be worth $25.0 billion in 2024. Read Now

  • Report Reveals Local Governments Face Surge in Ransomware Attacks with Minimal Resources

    KnowBe4, the cybersecurity platform that comprehensively addresses human risk management, recently released new research highlighting the critical cybersecurity challenges facing state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) governments. The report details how government organizations have become prime targets for cybercriminals while simultaneously facing severe resource constraints. Read Now

  • Video Surveillance Trends to Watch

    With more organizations adding newer capabilities to their surveillance systems, it’s always important to remember the “basics” of system configuration and deployment, as well as the topline benefits of continually emerging technologies like AI and the cloud. Read Now

  • New Report Reveals Top Trends Transforming Access Controller Technology

    Mercury Security, a provider in access control hardware and open platform solutions, has published its Trends in Access Controllers Report, based on a survey of over 450 security professionals across North America and Europe. The findings highlight the controller’s vital role in a physical access control system (PACS), where the device not only enforces access policies but also connects with readers to verify user credentials—ranging from ID badges to biometrics and mobile identities. With 72% of respondents identifying the controller as a critical or important factor in PACS design, the report underscores how the choice of controller platform has become a strategic decision for today’s security leaders. Read Now

New Products

  • Compact IP Video Intercom

    Viking’s X-205 Series of intercoms provide HD IP video and two-way voice communication - all wrapped up in an attractive compact chassis.

  • QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC)

    QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC)

    The latest Qualcomm® Vision Intelligence Platform offers next-generation smart camera IoT solutions to improve safety and security across enterprises, cities and spaces. The Vision Intelligence Platform was expanded in March 2022 with the introduction of the QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC), which delivers superior artificial intelligence (AI) inferencing at the edge.

  • 4K Video Decoder

    3xLOGIC’s VH-DECODER-4K is perfect for use in organizations of all sizes in diverse vertical sectors such as retail, leisure and hospitality, education and commercial premises.