The failure of police ‘fusion’ centers and the concept of a national intelligence sharing plan

Criminal Justice Review

Lewandowski

May

2016

The fusion center literature is limited and lacks consensus regarding operational focus and strategic priorities. Perhaps the lone consistent finding in this literature is the lack of awareness among outsiders regarding what fusion centers do and the capabilities they provide. Contemporary communication research indicates the Internet serves as the primary source of information to inform what they do not understand. The present study employs a mixed methods approach that combines a content analysis of fusion center web content with fusion center self-report data gleaned from a federally funded project. This study encompasses 74 of the 77 primary and officially recognized fusion centers in the United States. Results indicate that centers provide limited information online about their organization and significantly under-report their activities and capabilities online in comparison to self-reported tasks. Information available online through official fusion centers websites is poor at best. Fusion centers self-report to engage in tasks consistent with their information sharing and analytic mission. A context for the findings is provided, in addition to recommendations and study limitations. KeywordsFusion center, Intelligence, Information sharing, Content analysis Citation Carter, J. G., Lewandowski, C., & May, G. (2016). Disparity between fusion center web content and self-reported activity. Criminal Justice Review, 41(3), 335-351. 1 Despite their having received substantial resources and serving as a critical source of terrorism and crime information for all levels of law enforcement, little is known about these centers. When ambiguity surrounds something of interest in contemporary society, law enforcement and the general public often rely upon information gathered from the Internet to develop a sense of understanding. Unfortunately, this information -even from an organization's official website -may not be all-inclusive and representative of the organization. As a result, the perceptions developed by law enforcement and the general public based on this information may be inaccurate and can lead to declines in perceived legitimacy and limitations of functional capability.Put simply, outsiders may perceive fusion centers to be of limited value and may not seek to interact with a fusion center in light of this perception. Though the research evidence regarding fusion centers is sparse, a common finding is that law enforcement personnel as well as the general public are unaware of fusion center capabilities and that fusion centers desire a capacity to market their resources and mission information. The present study examines online content within official websites, or webpages, from each of the primary and secondary fusion centers in the U.S. and compares this content with data collected from the centers as part of a federally funded project.This approach allows for a comparison of self-reported fusion center activity (i.e., what they are doing) and web-based information intended to inform outsiders of fus...

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Analysis Properties Approximately Here ]mentioning

confidence: 99%

Disparity Between Fusion Center Web Content and Self-Reported Activity

Criminal Justice Review

Lewandowski

May

2016

“…In the highly fragmented U.S. law enforcement environment, there is great value in the potential for fusion centers to streamline ILP adoption by providing a form of centralization. With currently 53 state and 24 regional fusion centers spread throughout the country, each center is designed to cover a specific geographic area, connecting local, state, and federal law enforcement, emergency services, transportation 6 services, and a wide variety of private businesses within that area (Taylor & Russell, 2012).…”

Section: Information Sharing Through Fusion Centersmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of people in information-sharing: perceptions from an analytic unit of a regional fusion center

Lewandowski

Police Practice and Research

Campbell

2016

Information sharing research has largely focused on capturing operational practices related to the exchange of information. A noticeable shortcoming of this developing literature is the lack of scholarly attention focused specifically on analytic personnel. The present study employs semi-structured interviews with 23 personnel that comprise the analytic unit within a regional fusion center located in a large metropolitan area in the United States. Findings indicate that there is significant ambiguity surrounding the organizational and geographic audiences to which intelligence products should be tailored. Moreover, it appears information sharing is sparse and reliant upon personal relationships between analysts and external organizations. Lastly, analysts do not receive feedback pertaining to the content and effectiveness of intelligence products created. These findings may be generalized to other analytical organizations whose primary goal is to gather, analyze and disseminate intelligence. Action steps for policymakers are provided.

“…This effort to collect large amounts of information and data, combined with efforts to develop mechanisms for secure access and sharing, have led civil rights advocates to worry that this increase in data and federal security clearances serves as proof of far-reaching law enforcement initiatives to collect and secretly share personal information (Taylor & Russell, 2012). Such concerns are fostered by the assumption that fusion centers operate as a pre-emptive law enforcement action wherein information is collected without the presence of a reasonable suspicion (Masse & Rollins, 2007) and that such data is readily available to an array of law enforcement and non-law enforcement personnel who could use this data for purposes of unlawful discrimination 2 (Monahan & Palmer, 2009).…”

Section: Privacy Concerns In the Information Sharing Environmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Law Enforcement Fusion Centers: Cultivating an Information Sharing Environment while Safeguarding Privacy

Chermak

et al. 2016

J Police Crim Psych

The national network of fusion centers, of which there are currently 78 nationwide, was created in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 and continue to play an integral role in contemporary law enforcement. Their mission, put simply, is to facilitate information sharing across disparate agencies and organizations. Despite a significant presence within the law enforcement landscape, fusion centers have received relatively minimal scholarly attention. This limited literature alludes to operational challenges and public concerns that inhibit fusion center effectiveness. More specifically, little information is known about how fusion centers develop relationships with external partners as well as institute mechanisms to safeguard against violations of individual privacy. The present research employs a combination of national survey data and three in-depth case studies of fusion centers in Florida, Nevada, and Michigan to provide initial answers to these questions. Implications for improved policy and practice are discussed.