Tape release date:
11/29/2007
11 2+9 2+7
11 11 9
UBL is becoming predicatable.
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Antiterrorism center goals vary, GAO finds
Sites set up after 9/11 had no guidelines
November 29, 2007
WASHINGTON - Local intelligence-sharing centers set up after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks have had their antiterrorism mission diluted by a focus on run-of-the-mill street crime and hazards such as hurricanes, a government report concludes. Of 43 "fusion centers," only two focus exclusively on preventing terrorism, the Government Accountability Office found in a national survey obtained by the Associated Press. Center directors complain that they were hampered by lack of guidance from Washington and they were flooded by often redundant information from multiple computer systems.
The original concept behind fusion centers was to coordinate the resources, expertise, and information of intelligence agencies so the country could detect and prevent terrorist acts. The concept has been widely embraced, particularly by the Sept. 11 commission, and the federal government has provided $130 million to help get them off the ground. But until recently, there were no guidelines for setting up the centers and as a result, the information shared and how it is used varies.
Centers in Kansas and Rhode Island are the only two focused solely on counterterrorism. Other centers focus on all crimes, including drugs and gangs, said the GAO, Congress' investigative and auditing arm. Washington state's fusion center, for instance, has an all-hazards mission so it can focus on natural disasters and public health epidemics in addition to terrorism.
"States are at different levels because there wasn't the preconceived game plan on how to do this," said George Foresman, a former undersecretary at the Homeland Security Department who oversaw the awarding of startup money for many of the centers.
SNIP from end of article:
It's not uncommon, she said, for law enforcement officers to learn of important developments first from the news media.