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Intelligence Info Kept From First RespondersBy Cliff MontgomeryFive years after September 11th, the Bush Administration’s willingness to share needed intelligence and threat information with state and local officials–not to mention his bosses, the American people–remains virtually nil, according to a number of first responders.”Much of the needed intelligence information is locked away from those who need it in the field or on the scene because of outdated Cold War mentalities regarding classification of intelligence information,” Illinois State Police Col. Kenneth Bouche said at a September 7th hearing of the House land Security Committee.”Critical information must be unclassified and disseminated appropriately if it is to be of any use in preventing domestic terrorism,” he added.”The federal government must work towards a goal of de-classifying information to the maximum extent possible,” Col. Bouche urged.At a time when we have a president who thinks he is a king, that he possesses inherent rights and that the people possess mere privileges–it is the other way around–our Republican-run Congress has done little more than prove Abraham Lincoln‘s statement true: “If you want to judge a man’s character, give him power.”The same is true of groups of men. The modern Republicans have been tested with power, and they have failed that test miserably.Luckily the Democratic staff of the House land Security Committee had the patriotism to issue a report on September 28th entitled, “LEAP: A Law Enforcement Assistance and Partnership Strategy.” The plan proposes seven initiatives aimed at “improving information sharing between the intelligence community and state, local, and tribal law enforcement.”We repeat its principal points below:”In its pivotal report detailing the federal government’s failure to prevent the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the 9/11 Commission cited a “lack of imagination” as a primary reason why officials were unable to connect the data dots and take action.”As noted by the Commission, a secure homeland depends on the state, local, and tribal law enforcement officers in our communities. These individuals are the people best positioned not only to observe criminal and other activity that might be the first sign of a terrorist plot but also to help thwart attacks before they happen.”Accordingly, providing police and sheriffs’ officers with the information and intelligence resources they need to make sense of what they encounter on the ground every day–and to share their observations and concerns with the federal Intelligence Community (IC) in response–would be a giant leap toward making the homeland more secure. Unfortunately, five years after 9/11, critical failures of imagination continue to leave these “first preventers” as a largely untappedresource in the war on terror.”They, and the American people, deserve no less.”1.) Police and sheriffs’ officers believe that in order to be effective in preventing terrorism and related criminal activity, it is essential that they fully participate in the intelligence cycle at both the federal and non-federal levels and become advocates for law enforcement intelligence products that meet their requirements.”2.) Major city law enforcement executives agree that one of the best ways to help thwart terrorist attacks in this country is to send liaisons from their departments to their foreign counterparts in order to boost their understanding of how terrorists are operating internationally and to obtain on-the-scene situational awareness whenever attacks occur abroad.”3.) Law enforcement officers speak highly of “fusion” centers that have been established at the state and local levels to analyze the millions of pieces of data available to…state health authorities, local first responders, the private sector, and other homeland security players.”4.) State, local, and tribal law enforcement participation in state and local fusion centers advances the cause of intelligence-led policing by involving officers in the intelligence process on a daily basis; helping them build relationships across every level and discipline of government and the private sector; and ensuring that law enforcement intelligence and other information is shared with their home communities.”5.) Another information sharing challenge cited by many law enforcement officers is the lack of sufficient amounts of specific and actionable information that might help them detect and thwart a potential terrorist attack.”6.) Where intelligence information cannot be “sanitized” to an unclassified law enforcement sensitive level, law enforcement executives need security clearances so they can access data that is relevant to protecting people and places within their jurisdictions.”7.) To ensure that these information sharing initiatives work, Congress should establish and fund a benchmark and biennial survey of intelligence-led policing around the nation. This ‘Targeting Intelligence-Led Policing Satisfaction (TIPS) Benchmark Survey’ would review the quality of information being shared, would gauge its usefulness to a variety of state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies, and would publicly identify areas for improvement.”
