Fusion Centers

A fusion center is an information sharing center. Many of the ones that exist today were created under the Department of Homeland Security and the Office of Justice Programs. Although there were some beforehand, after 9/11 many more states joined in and created their own centers. They were designed as a means of sharing information between agencies at the federal level. Such agencies include but are not limited to the CIA, FBI, U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. military, and state and local governments.

I believe that fusion centers are accomplishing their purpose. They allow agencies to share information. Fusion centers are a great idea and when used properly and to the fullest potential they could be a very good thing. I believe that fusion centers were not always taken so seriously, hence why the number of them increased dramatically after 9/11. On pg. 103 in the book it says some fusion centers are still developing and a number of problems remain. “To prevent acts of terrorism on American soil, we must enlist all of our intelligence, law enforcement, and homeland security capabilities. We will continue to integrate and leverage state and major urban area fusion centers that have the capability to share classified information.” This shows that the centers are making a conscious effort to foresee any threats that can happen so that if and when they do occur we will know how to deal with them. The centers prevent us from making the same mistake twice, or at least they should ideally.

There have been a number of success stories coming from the support of various fusion centers. In May 2014 the Alabama Fusion Center (AFC) supported the DEA in combating transnational drug networks – Project Synergy as it came to be known. The AFC provided intelligence and research support to the DEA. Project Synergy resulted in more than 38 suspected individuals being arrested and over 200 pounds of drugs, $500,000, and 19 guns being seized.

"Homeland Security." 2014 Fusion...