Posted on 04/19/2012 12:14:12 PM PDT by null and void
On March 1, the FBI stopped sharing vital terror intel with state and local officials without explanation.
Without making a public or private announcement, the FBI has ended critical intelligence sharing with all 77 law enforcement fusion centers nationwide. This policy was implemented less than two days after a top FBI official told Congress about the FBI’s extensive efforts to share intelligence with state and local partners.
On Monday, a state fusion center official told PJ Media:
The FBI has effectively put us out of business. We are right back to September 10.
Two other fusion center officials in other states confirmed the FBI’s new policy to PJ Media.
On March 1, the FBI’s Terrorist Screening Center (TSC) stopped sharing Watch Encounter reports with the fusion centers. The Watch Encounter reports document incidents of individuals on terror watch lists having encounters with state or local law enforcement.
Until now, the Watch Encounter reports were forwarded to the fusion center responsible for the area where the encounter occurred. Since the TSC doesn’t share the terror watch lists with the fusion centers, the Watch Encounter reports were the only means that state officials had of knowing that someone on a terror watch list had either traveled to or lived in their area.
Forwarding the Watch Encounter reports to the fusion centers had proved helpful to the FBI, according to a fusion center official:
When we received these reports we would get the dash cam recordings from the department in question and even interview the officer who conducted the stop. We would then double-back to the FBI with the information. We also found that while the FBI field offices were supposed to be receiving these encounter reports, they were typically unaware that anything had happened.This official also claimed that the Watch Encounter reports are the core of the FBI’s intelligence-sharing program established after the 9/11 terror attacks:
These reports have been the life blood of the system. Now all of the billions of taxpayer dollars spent building fusion centers all across the country are essentially wasted.On February 28, Assistant Director of the FBI’s Directorate of Intelligence Eric Velez-Villar appeared before the House Homeland Security Counterterrorism and Intelligence Subcommittee. The hearing focused on the FBI’s intelligence sharing with state, local, and tribal law enforcement ten years after the 9/11 attacks. Velez-Villar discussed the importance of the fusion centers in the FBI’s investigative process:
Fusion centers maximize our ability to detect, prevent, investigate, and respond to criminal and terrorist activity. They assist the FBI by providing information made available by the combination of knowledge, expertise, and information within local law enforcement and homeland security agencies operating throughout the nation, and our participation allows us to provide a national perspective on regional threats and trends so we can better inform decision makers at all levels. The exchange of intelligence that takes place in fusion centers aids other intelligence and law enforcement organizations — including the JTTFs — in their investigative operations and serves as a critical tool for collaboration at all levels.Two days later, the sharing stopped. Said another fusion center official who spoke with PJ Media on Tuesday:
Congressional staffers are now investigating, and a key point has been raised in the investigation: it appears the FBI may be required to provide such intelligence to the fusion centers by presidential executive orders and federal law.After a couple of days our analysts noticed that the reports had stopped coming. No notice, no explanation.
We are going to need a sound check. The mics are on but something is unplugged.
Glad they Jim and John got the engine running again. My anxiety is going down. :o)
(sorry for offtopic)
Does the FBI fears leaks - abuse of power - corruption? They saw red flags...
a little dose of Moooslim Sensitivity from the Obama Administration to aid and abet the ongoing media lynching of Ray Kelly and the NYPD.
Next thing you know the FBI will stand for the FEDERAL BUREAU OF ISLAMISTS.
ping
Yeah, I needed my FREEPER fix.
That aside they must have gone thru a wormhole or something because its posting about two hours or real time.
Jim Rob...i think we overdrove our warp speed headlights!
Freegards
LEX
My VERY first thought...
.
This can only mean one thing: the Executive branch wishes to hide something again. With Clinton/Gorelick, it was campaign finance abuses. What is it with Obama?
-PJ
Good. The fusion centers are a leftwing contraption channeling info on idological enemies with organizations such as the SPLC and state level allies.
ping
I guess they realized that some of the 77 agencies might not be as serious about security as they should be.
Or they realized a lot of these guys are macho jerks who like to talk at the bar.
Or perhaps, both.
This has everything to do with the recent 9-years in the making FBI Crime lab report.
Most all federal evidence requiring any degree of analysis, other that electronic evidence, goes through the FBI Crime Lab.
That means a great deal of the NCIC fusion reports are tainted.
Nah. Probably Herr HOLDER just wants to have all information vetted by someone close to make sure that anything shared doesn't implicate HIM or OBAMA in any criminal activities. And that takes a few days. THEY'LL probably start sharing info again about November 7 if OBAMA gets re-elected; but will shred everything if HE doesn't.
Why do we need 77 agencies each competing for turf?
Wouldn’t just FBI and CIA be sufficient?
“Does the FBI fears leaks - abuse of power - corruption? They saw red flags...”
Here’s a paranoia inducing thought for some around here - perhaps they didn’t want to share information on their “right wing extremist” flavor of “domestic terrorist”’ for fear of sympathizers at the state or local level...
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
bkmk
Even if you are correct, I think this is still a positive development if it works both ways....that is if no one needs to tell the FBI anything anymore either.
35. Discredit and eventually dismantle the FBI.
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