Criminal Justice Fusion Centers

State and major urban area fusion centers serve as central points inside the state and local environment for the reception, examination, gathering, and distribution of threat-related information between the federal government and state, local, tribal, territorial (SLTT) and private sector associates. Positioned in states and major urban areas all through the country, fusion centers are distinctively located to authorize front-line law enforcement, public safety, fire service, emergency response, public health, critical infrastructure protection, and private sector security personnel to comprehend local implications of national intelligence, therefore facilitating local officials to better protect their areas. Fusion centers supply interdisciplinary knowledge and situational consciousness to enlighten decision-making at all levels of government. They carry out analysis and facilitate information sharing while assisting law enforcement and homeland security associates in preventing, protecting against, and responding to crime and terrorism (State and Major Urban Area Fusion Centers, n.d.).

Fusion centers are owned and managed by state and local entities with support from federal associates in the appearance of deployed personnel, training, technical assistance, exercise support, security clearances, and connectivity to federal systems, technology, and grant funding (State and Major Urban Area Fusion Centers, n.d.). Fusion centers contribute to the Information Sharing Environment (ISE) through their role in receiving threat information from the federal government; analyzing that information in the context of their local environment; distributing that information to local agencies; and collecting tips, leads, and suspicious activity reporting (SAR) from local agencies...

Fusion centers get information from an assortment of sources, including SAR from stakeholders inside their jurisdictions, as well as federal information and intelligence. They examine the information and develop applicable products to distribute to their customers. These products aid homeland security partners at all levels of government to recognize and address direct and emerging threats (Fusion Centers, 2012).
By combining state and local information with federal threat intelligence, it could be disputed, fusion centers serve as a fundamental linkage or translator for state and local authorities. The fusion centers, through their connectivity with the federal Intelligence Community via either systems and/or federal personnel collocated at the centers, can serve as the single focal point for timely dissemination of that information. The imperative is to push the defensive perimeter outward (Fusion Centers: Issues and Options for Congress, 2008).

There are many benefits to be realized by local city and police departments from participating in a fusion center. "These centers support the efforts of state and local law enforcement to prevent and investigate crime in the local communities along with addresses one of the most pressing national challenges such as gangs, border violence, narcotics, homicides, natural disasters and terrorism" (Tennessee Fusion Center, n.d.). Federal agencies supply terrorism-related information to state, local, and tribal authorities mainly through these fusion centers, which may additionally modify such information for distribution to satisfy intra-or interstate needs. In the end this saves money by leveraging assets and helping local leaders make educated decisions on utilizing resources.

The closest fusion center to where I live…