All but two of 43 U.S. antiterrorism "fusion centers" are spending at least part of their time addressing issues such as crime and natural disasters, the Associated Press reported yesterday (see GSN, July 27, 2006).
The centers were intended to be sites that would allow intelligence agencies to coordinate assets, know-how and information in order to prevent terrorist strikes. They received $130 million in federal startup funding following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
The Government Accountability Office found, though, that only centers in Kansas and Rhode Island have focused solely on terrorism. The other facilities address a wide array of crimes and other threats, according to a GAO survey obtained by AP. The congressional auditing agency noted that the Washington state center takes an "all-hazards" approach encompassing terrorism, natural disasters and disease epidemics.
The centers are largely operated by state law enforcement agencies, with involvement by other state and federal agencies such as fire departments, the FBI and the Homeland Security Department. Until last month there were no guidelines on organizing and operating the centers, AP reported. This led to differences in the sharing and use of information.
"States are at different levels because there wasn't the preconceived game plan on how to do this," said former Homeland Security Undersecretary George Foresman.
One top Homeland Security intelligence official backed the wider approach.
"In many cases, there's also a nexus between criminality and terrorism," said Jack Tomarchio. "Terrorists, like anybody else, need money to do their deeds" (Eileen Sullivan, Associated Press/Yahoo!News, Nov. 28).