New DHS support for fusion centers
DHS issued a press release today announcing its intention to post intelligence analysts at state and regional fusion centers around the country – a decision that DHS intelligence chief Charlie Allen mentioned in his remarks last week. The announcement coincides with the official opening today of LA’s Joint Regional Intelligence Center (JRIC). I’ve been somwhat skeptical in the past about these state & local fusion centers, worrying that they would be disconnected from the federal intelligence apparatus. But as it has become apparent that DHS and DOJ are making a serious commitment to support them, I’ve changed my mind, and I think that they can potentially play the same role that a federal domestic intelligence agency (like the British MI-5) would serve.
