Strategies to Build a Trusted and Collaborative Information Sharing System for State-Level Homeland Security

Strategies to Build a Trusted and Collaborative Information Sharing System for State-Level Homeland Security
Author: Robert L. Flowers
Publisher:
Total Pages: 67
Release: 2004-06-01
Genre:
ISBN: 9781423586111

At all levels of government, strategies to prevent terrorism will rely on the development and distribution of actionable information. It is essential that the United States strengthen its capacity to gather, share, analyze and disseminate such information. In the State of Utah, however, these efforts have been jeopardized by a failure to adequately understand the cultural impediments to building more effective information systems. Spending more money on "stuff" (hardware, communications systems, etc.) will not provide for better information sharing, unless cultural barriers to change are recognized and taken into account in State planning. Public safety officers in Utah are, in my experience, extremely dedicated and competent public servants. Nevertheless, the top priority in Utah should be building a new culture where trust and collaboration exist among the organizations involved in homeland security. This thesis argues that such collaboration does not exist today, and will not grow naturally on its own. Further, states such as Utah need to develop and implement a strategic plan to build a culture of collaboration. This thesis proposed such a plan, tailored to overcome the specific problems that my research has uncovered.

National Strategy for Information Sharing

National Strategy for Information Sharing
Author: Barry Leonard
Publisher: DIANE Publishing
Total Pages: 48
Release: 2009-05
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1437912621

Contents: (1) The Need for a Nat. Strategy; Guiding Principles; Linkage with Other Nat. Strategies; (2) Background and the Current Environment: What Has Been Accomplished Since 9/11?; Continuing Challenges; Legislative and Regulatory Background; (3) Sharing Info. at the Fed. Level; (4) Sharing Info. with State and Local Gov¿ts.; Interagency Threat Assessment and Coordination Group; State and Major Urban Area Fusion Centers; (4) Sharing Info. with the Private Sector; (5) Sharing Info. with Foreign Partners; (6) Protecting Privacy and Other Legal Rights in the Sharing of Info.: Core Privacy Principles; Privacy Governance; (7) Institutionalizing the Strategy for Long-Term Success: Protecting the Info. Privacy and Legal Rights of Amer.

The Role of Law Enforcement in Emergency Management and Homeland Security

The Role of Law Enforcement in Emergency Management and Homeland Security
Author: Mark R. Landahl
Publisher: Emerald Group Publishing
Total Pages: 328
Release: 2021-09-06
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 178769335X

This book examines the role and involvement of law enforcement agencies across the spectrum of homeland security and emergency management. Contributions from expert practitioners and academics are organized around the mission areas of mitigation/protection, prevention, preparedness, response and recovery.

Building the Information Sharing Environment

Building the Information Sharing Environment
Author: United States. Congress. House. Committee on Homeland Security. Subcommittee on Intelligence, Information Sharing, and Terrorism Risk Assessment
Publisher:
Total Pages: 32
Release: 2007
Genre: Computers
ISBN:

Information Sharing

Information Sharing
Author: United States. Government Accountability Office
Publisher:
Total Pages: 52
Release: 2010
Genre: Intelligence service
ISBN:

Information sharing among federal, state, and local officials is crucial for preventing acts of terrorism on U.S. soil. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), through its Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I & A), has lead federal responsibility for such information sharing. GAO was asked to assess (1) actions I & A has taken to enhance the usefulness of intelligence products it provides to state and local partners, (2) other services I & A provides to these partners, and (3) to what extent I & A has defined how it intends to share information with these partners. To conduct this work, GAO reviewed relevant statutes, strategies, best practices, and agency documents; contacted a nongeneralizable sample of 10 fusion centers, where states collaborate with federal agencies to improve information sharing, based on geographic location and other factors; and interviewed I & A officials. This is a public version of a sensitive report that GAO issued in September 2010. Information DHS deemed sensitive has been redacted. GAO recommends that I & A establish milestones for identifying the information needs of state and local partners, report to these partners on how I & A used feedback they provided to enhance intelligence products, identify and document priority programs and activities related to its state and local mission, and establish time frames for developing additional related performance measures. DHS agreed with these recommendations.

The Homeland Security Information Network

The Homeland Security Information Network
Author: United States. Congress. House. Committee on Homeland Security. Subcommittee on Intelligence, Information Sharing, and Terrorism Risk Assessment
Publisher:
Total Pages: 64
Release: 2007
Genre: Computers
ISBN:

Information Sharing with Fusion Centers Has Improved, But Information System Challenges Remain

Information Sharing with Fusion Centers Has Improved, But Information System Challenges Remain
Author: United States. Department of Homeland Security. Office of Inspector General
Publisher:
Total Pages: 34
Release: 2010
Genre: Information networks
ISBN:

We reviewed the department's approach to information sharing with state and local fusion centers. Our objectives were to determine (1) the effectiveness of DHS' strategy, processes, and activities for facilitating information sharing with fusion centers; and (2) the extent to which information technology systems support information sharing between the department and these centers. DHS has made progress in its efforts to improve information sharing with fusion centers. Fusion center personnel indicated that information sharing had improved over time and the information received from the department met their needs primarily due to the deployment of DHS intelligence officers to the centers. As a result of improved information sharing, fusion centers have successfully collaborated with the department during numerous large-scale events and maintained situational awareness after attempted terrorist attacks or other incidents. However, DHS component collaboration in the information sharing process needs improvement, and some intelligence products could better meet state and local needs. In addition, information technology systems do not fully support information sharing between DHS and state and local fusion centers. Specifically, fusion center personnel make limited use of information sharing systems and instead rely on emails for situational awareness and intelligence sharing. Personnel from fusion centers identified challenges with limited system content and usability, as well as the existence of too many federal systems and no ability to conduct comprehensive or simultaneous searches across multiple systems or department databases.