Saturday, September 19, 2009
Fusion Center
Only two months ago, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano declared fusion centers—where local, state and federal law enforcement—and private companies—work to combat terrorism, would not be given access to military databases. But now Napolitano has reversed herself and decided to provide classified military intelligence to fusion centers. Civil libertarians are not happy with Napolitano’s about-face on the issue.
Michael Macleod-Ball, acting director of the ACLU’s Washington Legislative Office, called the decision “a recipe for disaster.” He added: “As fusion centers gain more and more access to Americans’ private information, the information about them being made available to the American public remains woefully inadequate. There is a stunning lack of oversight at these fusion centers and, as we’ve seen, these centers are rapidly becoming a breeding ground for overzealous intelligence activities.”
The ACLU released a report in 2007 warning of dangers posed by fusion centers if government oversight is not bolstered. These included the centers’ ambiguous lines of authority, participation of private corporations and the military, and the use of data mining.
There were reportedly 72 fusion centers in the United States as of July 2009.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
Fusion Centers To Obtain Access To Classified Military Intelligence (ACLU press release)
Police to Get Access to Classified Military Intelligence (by John Byrne, Raw Story)
What's Wrong With Fusion Centers - Executive Summary (ACLU press release)
State and Local Fusion Centers (Department of Homeland Security)
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