Unit IV Essay Fusion Center Jasmine Holt.docx - 1 Fusion...

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Fusion Centers in the United States—Past and Present
Jasmine Holt
Columbia Southern University
Introduction to Terrorism
Professor Michael B. Simmons

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Fusion Center in the United States—Past and Present
Following the 9/11 attacks, the need to develop a response to terrorist threats became of
paramount importance to effectively share information and intelligence across all government
agencies. In 2002, fusion centers were launched in New York City under the direction of
Raymond Kelly and, with the help of the federal government which established an effective and
efficient mechanism for sharing information and intelligence between government
entities[ CITATION Wat02 \l 1033 ]. The Department of Homeland Security describes a fusion
center as state-owned and operated centers that serve as focal points in states and major urban
areas for the receipt, analysis, gathering, and sharing of threat-related information between State,
Local, Tribal and Territorial (SLTT), federal and private sector partners. [ CITATION Fus19 \l
1033 ]. The goal of the fusion center was to create a mechanism where law enforcement, public
safety, and private partners could work in collaboration to improve the ability to safeguard the
United States and prevent terrorist activity.
As mentioned above, fusion centers emerged in 2002. The state and local centers were
created to combat the lack of a “large scale, domestic counterterrorism programs formulated to
synchronize local, state, and federal efforts” [ CITATION Div14 \l 1033 ]. The number of fusion
centers grew dramatically from only nine in 2002 to seventy-eight by 2014. The center's purpose
is to share anti-terrorism threats among all entities across state, local, and federal law
enforcement agencies. However, their scope has expanded beyond just a counterterrorism
mission, and now covers “all crimes and all hazards” [CITATION Dav10 \l 1033 ]. Although the
fusion centers were created independently and differ from one another state to state their purpose
largely remains, similar “to receive, analyze, gather, and share information about threats.” The
information they seek today has expanded beyond just criminal intelligence but now includes

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private and public sector data. The collaboration now extends beyond law enforcement agencies
and includes other government entities like the military and select members of the private sector.
Fusion Centers and the Critical Operation Capabilities
Strengthening the ability of the fusion centers to execute the four Critical Operation
Capabilities (COCS) was essential to building an integrated National Network of Fusion Centers
capable of sharing information with the federal government and state and local entities because
of the evolving threat environment we live in today. During time-sensitive and emerging threats,
fusion centers need to be able to share any information and intelligence to the federal
government and SLTT partners seemingly and effectively to initiate a response promptly. During