Essay on Intelligence Sharing: Intelligence and Law Enforcement

Homeland Security is characterized by crime control being the primary police function. It is best achieved through a collective effort by all law enforcement agencies. One of the strategies being used is Intelligence Led Policing. This strategy is not new, it can be traced back to the British is the 1990’s (Bailey, 2011). Intelligence Led Policing is an approach to crime that deals with all crimes and threats including terrorism. This approach is unique because it is threat driven instead of incident driven. It also is a long term approach and focuses on causes and conditions that add to crime through a collection of data.

Counterintelligence is one of the most vital areas of the United States intelligence system, and is heavily intertwined with our history, laws and ethics. According to the National Security Act of 1947, counterintelligence (CI) is defined as “information gathered and activities conducted to protect against espionage, other intelligence activities, sabotage, or assassinations conducted by or on behalf of foreign governments or elements thereof, foreign organizations or foreign persons, or international terrorist activities.” It consists of five activities and functions: operations, investigations, collection, analysis and production, and functional services. In this aspect, CI is unique in that it is both an activity and its product. U.S. intelligence agencies, including the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) collect and analyze both CI information and foreign intelligence. There are many counterintelligence activities that the United States is involved in, as both CI and foreign intelligence play an important role in countering threats to our country’s national security. Among these most controversial and misunderstood activities are counterespionage and disinformation.

Intelligence activity continued to play a very important role in the developing of the United States of America as a country. The America Revolution and the Independence Movement witnessed an impressive use of intelligence operations commanded by the Founding Fathers. The use of intelligence and clandestine activities at that time initiated a more formal intelligence system in America that continued its use with more political movements during the history of the United States of America.

In the nineteenth century, municipal and state governments shouldered the responsibility of law enforcement. Another facts is that the Special Agents force also aided border guards, investigating smuggling cases and immigration violations. Encyclopedia says “Despite the changing future of the structure of the United States intelligence community, the FBI will undoubtedly play a central role”. The FBI's focus on the prevention of terrorism failed to thwart the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The FBI has many things that people do not

Fusion centers are owned and operated by state and local governments but a place where federal, state, local and tribal agencies come to share intelligence and information about terrorist threats, criminal actions and other hazards. The government provides funding and personnel and expertise to the fusion centers but the state and local governments also contribute to the operation of a fusion center. The DHS deploys intelligence analysts to the fusion centers as well. The centers are a great help to decimate terrorist threat from the federal agencies down to the lower levels and information from law enforcement that may contribute to an overall intelligence picture is funneled up to the federal government. (Blum, 2010)

Since the deadly terror attacks of 9/11, intelligence gathering for homeland security has improved immensely. One of the most important developments in our law-enforcement structure that has enhanced our intelligence is the creation of fusion centers. Fusion centers are “state and major urban area focal points for the receipt, analysis, gathering, and sharing of threat-related information between federal; state, local, tribal, territorial (SLTT); and private sector partners” (Department of Homeland Security, 2016). These fusion centers are "owned and operated by state and local entities" and are supported by federal partners in its many aspects which include personnel deployment, capacity building, and important and crucial connectivity to federal systems (Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), 2012, para. 3). For example, the DHS provides over 70 fusion centers access to the Homeland Secure Data Network or HSDN which allows these fusion centers to receive federally generated classified threat information.

In preparation for my debate on the topics of intelligence-led policing and Compstat policing, I have discovered the many advantages and disadvantages of using intelligence-led policing and Compstat policing. According to Carter & Carter (2009), intelligence-led policing is the collection of and analysis of data relating to crime, used by law enforcement in “developing tactical responses to threats and/or strategic planning related to emerging changing threats” (p. 317). When applied correctly, intelligence-led policing is a tool used for information sharing in identifying threats and developing responses to prevent those threats from reaching fruition (Carter, 2011). One of the advantages of using intelligence-led policing is its incorporation of data analysts. The role of the data analyst in the context of intelligence-led policing allows them to take specially trained analysts to take raw data from information found in reports and translate it into useful information for the officers, allowing the police to deploy resources more effectively and efficiently (Griffiths, 2016). Another advantage is its application through preventative and predictive policing (proactive policing), in which law enforcement take data and identify crucial variables such as terrorism or the emergence of criminal organizations, in hopes of stopping the problem at its roots (Carter, 2011). Terrorism is especially important and emphasized after the 9/11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Centers in

Intelligence-led policing is the new standard of information sharing among law enforcement agencies across the country at all levels. Before intelligence-led policing gained popularity most law enforcement agencies did not freely share information amongst each other, which lead to huge gaps in the functioning of law enforcement agencies. Many believe that this laps in sharing is what lead to the 9/11 disaster. All police agencies must form a cohesive approach to a central system of intelligence gathering and information dissemination. By doing so, they may better achieve a common goal for the unified approach to policing. This process of intelligence-led police may seem like a simple concept, but it involve the many departments working together which can cause confusion and angst among them.

In the State of New York, fusion center is a perfect example of information technology optimizing their performance in reducing crime within their police departments. The New York/New Jersey High Intensity Drug Trafficking Center serves as an information hub for law enforcement. According to (Johnson, 2008), the mass of intelligence data in the central location has proved to be a key factor in identifying individuals and organizations that are facilitating or carrying out terrorist activity in New York City.

Identified as first developed in 1996 in Los Angeles Fusion Centers did not become an expanded organization until after 9/11 (Monahan, 2013). Fusion Centers are evolving themselves and in this, are modifying their actions to address some concerns of their critics. In their post-9/11 inception, Fusion Centers were developed with little to no guidance, except to address the intelligence concerns of the modern day terrorism threat. With this broad mission, it should be expected that some issues regarding intelligence gathering would surface. Since that time, Fusion Centers have become an invaluable part of the law enforcement community, bridging a much needed gap in intelligence sharing. However critics exist and some issues are based out

It is important to note here that this practice was only used to collect information sent and received, by calls or internet data, outside the United States, until a certain big event that happened in September of 2001. As a result and under the auspices of Homeland Security, the president added domestic data mining to the mission of the NSA. This aspect of the NSA mission was set up to be a temporary directive, but has subsequently been extended by each succeeding president. As an added safeguard against interfering with domestic privacy, any individuals targeted by the NSA must be checked by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and a warrant

“Former Director of National Intelligence, Dennis C. Blair, said that HUMINT is the ‘primary way’ the U.S. intelligence agencies attempt to monitor terrorist organizations: ‘to penetrate them and learn whether they’re talking about making attacks against the United States.’” Technical intelligence most useful when the target has a specific and definite location, and when the target has established procedures such as constant communication systems, leadership, and behavior patterns. That is not to say that terrorist groups and crime organizations do not have communication systems or organizational structures, however those structures and systems are always changing unlike a government which makes technical intelligence more difficult. The best way to penetrate these organizations and understand their operations is by inserting an officer or recruiting a source in insider access. In a 1994 survey conducted by the Office of Legislative Affairs in the CIA, the evaluators were asked to determine which intelligence collection method was most effective and most used in certain regions and issue areas (see “Table 2”).

September 11, 2001, shown America how vulnerable they were. We failed short in so many ways, such as the lack of information sharing internally or externally that push us to a new era of concern to protect the United States from terrorism. Intelligence serves as a critical factor in decision making, planning, strategic targeting, and crime prevention. That event sparked a collaborative partnership with state and local law enforcement agencies, the DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Field Intelligence Group (FIG) and Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTTF), and the National Guard, as well as civilian analysts, members of the military and private companies to form the fusion center to focus on national

(Bundy, 1995) Due to the fact, we have a limited collection capability on covert collection, it is essential not to waste any unnecessary resources, especially HUMINT collectors because it causes great damage to intelligence community and our national security. Regarding on send question, it is necessary to know how intelligence functions such as its four phases of Research, Requirements, Reports, Reaction. Whether it turns smoothly or develops an eccentric wobble depends very considerably on the relation between analyst and collector. This relationship is the key to a pair of most critical and sobering problems--how to get the indispensable information, and conversely how to avoid choking the intelligence stream with the luxuriant water hyacinth of trivia. (Dunleigh, 1995). Intelligence collectors and analysts are bonded together and they are inseparable in terms of mutual understanding and responsibilities for their intelligence customers because our national top decision makers are depending their intelligence to protect our national security. This is why intelligence professionals need to know how its subsequent intelligence process

The definition of espionage according to different sources. .the use of secret agents to steal information from other governments, enemies and