Fusion Center Guidelines Developing and Sharing Information and Intelligence in a New Era Guidelines for Establishing and Operating Fusion Centers at the Local, State, and Federal Levels Law Enforcement Intelligence, Public Safety, and the Private Sector United States Department of Justice Fusion Center Guidelines Developing and Sharing Information and Intelligence in a New Era Guidelines for Establishing and Operating Fusion Centers at the Local, State, and Federal Levels Law Enforcement Intelligence, Public Safety, and the Private Sector This project was supported by Grant No. 2008-DD-BX-K479 awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Global Justice Information Sharing Initiative and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the SMART Office, and the Office for Victims of Crime. Points of view or opinions in this document are those of the author and do not represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice or the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. ii Fusion Center Guidelines—Developing and Sharing Information in a New Era Foreword The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the U.S. Department This effort would not have been possible without the support of Homeland Security (DHS) collaborated in the development and guidance of key individuals. A special thank you is given to of these fusion center guidelines. The intent of the partnership the following individuals for their leadership and commitment to is to provide a consistent, unified message and to provide a this initiative: Regina B. Schofield, Assistant Attorney General, comprehensive set of guidelines for developing and operating a Office of Justice Programs (OJP); Domingo S. Herraiz, Director, fusion center within a state or region. Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), OJP; J. Patrick McCreary, Associate Deputy Director of National Policy, BJA; Tim Beres, Members of DOJ’s Global Justice Information Sharing Initiative Director, Preparedness Programs Division, Office for Domestic (Global) and DHS’s Homeland Security Advisory Council (HSAC) Preparedness, DHS; Dave Brannegan, Program Manager, Office supported this project, which involved numerous law enforcement of State and Local Government Coordination and Preparedness, experts and practitioners from local, state, tribal, and federal DHS; Daniel Ostergaard, Executive Director, HSAC, DHS; agencies, as well as representatives of public safety and private Michael Miron, Jeff Gaynor, and Candace Stoltz, Directors, sector entities across the country. Their collective knowledge, Intelligence and Information Sharing Working Groups, HSAC; insight, and willingness to participate resulted in an outstanding DHS; and Mitt Romney, chairman, Intelligence and Information product. Strong leadership for the project’s focus groups was Sharing Working Group, HSAC, DHS. provided by Peter Modafferi, chair of the Law Enforcement Intelligence Focus Group; John Cohen, chair of the Public Safety Focus Group; and Kenneth Bouche, chair of the Private Sector Focus Group. The Role of Leadership In developing our country’s response to the threat of terrorism, law enforcement, public safety, and private sector leaders have recognized the need to improve the sharing of information and intelligence across agency borders. Every official involved in information and intelligence sharing has a stake in this initiative. Leaders must move forward with a new paradigm on the exchange of information and intelligence, one that includes the integration of law enforcement, public safety, and the private sector. Law enforcement, public safety, and private sector leaders are encouraged to embrace the guidelines in this report when establishing a fusion center or participating in one. Information and intelligence sharing among states and jurisdictions will become seamless and efficient when each fusion center uses a common set of guidelines. It is the intent of this document to provide guidelines that help ensure fusion centers are established and operated effectively and efficiently in a manner that protects the privacy and civil liberties of citizens. The complete support of public safety leaders at all levels is critical to the successful implementation and operation of fusion centers. Fusion Center Guidelines—Developing and Sharing Information in a New Era iii Table of Contents Foreword ................................................................................................................................................................................................iii Executive Summary ..............................................................................................................................................................................1 Summary of Guidelines and Key Elements ........................................................................................................................................5 Introduction—Fusion Concept and Functions ...................................................................................................................................9 Fusion Center Guidelines Development...........................................................................................................................................9 The Fusion Concept .........................................................................................................................................................................10 Fusion Centers .................................................................................................................................................................................12 Fusion Center Functions ..................................................................................................................................................................13 Functional Categories ......................................................................................................................................................................13 State Strategy ..................................................................................................................................................................................14 Information Flow ...............................................................................................................................................................................14 Background and Methodology .............................................................................................................................................................15 A Phased Approach ..........................................................................................................................................................................15 Phase I—Law Enforcement Intelligence Component .......................................................................................................................15 Phase 2—Public Safety Component ................................................................................................................................................16 Phase 3—Private Sector Component ..............................................................................................................................................17 Guidelines Guideline 1: The NCISP and the Intelligence and Fusion Processes ...........................................................................................19 Guideline 2: Mission Statement and Goals ...................................................................................................................................23 Guideline 3: Governance...............................................................................................................................................................25 Guideline 4: Collaboration ............................................................................................................................................................29 Guideline 5: Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) ......................................................31 Guideline 6: Database Resources.................................................................................................................................................33 Guideline 7: Interconnectivity ........................................................................................................................................................37 Guideline 8: Privacy and Civil Liberties .........................................................................................................................................41 Guideline 9: Security .....................................................................................................................................................................43 Guideline 10: Facility, Location, and Physical Infrastructure ...........................................................................................................47 Guideline 11: Human Resources ....................................................................................................................................................51 Guideline 12: Training of Center