http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061202/LOCAL19/61202050 2/-1/ZONES04
Homeland security chief tours state's anti-terror center Office that coordinates crime-fighting efforts will more than double size of staff by January By Will Higgins [EMAIL PROTECTED] December 2, 2006 The Indiana Intelligence Fusion Center, the state's newest crime-fighting tool, expects to add 17 employees by January, more than doubling the size of the fledgling agency. On Friday, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff toured the fusion center's office, launched in March, and spoke afterward about its importance. "I see this as one of a network of fusion centers working together to spot trends or actual conspiracies," Chertoff said. "Their job is to connect the dots, to anticipate and prevent attacks on the homeland." Indiana is one of about 20 state fusion centers across the country, with others set to open soon. The center was created by the Indiana General Assembly and an executive order by Gov. Mitch Daniels to coordinate anti-terrorism efforts among regional and local law enforcement agencies by analyzing data in search of crimes that may be developing. Indiana's fusion center, like those in other states, gives Homeland Security a sort of one-stop shop for terrorism-related information in Indiana. The center does the same for the hundreds of law enforcement agencies in Indiana. "Say the Fort Wayne Fire Department has a 'white powder event.' They call us, so we have a record of that. So, say Evansville then calls with a 'white powder event.' Now we've got two dots to work with," said center head Monte McKee. He said some tips come directly from the public. He declined to say how often the phone rings but said his staffers are busy. He said that after the new hires come aboard, the center would be open 24 hours a day every day. Fusion staffers monitor law enforcement Web sites, looking for patterns that could suggest looming trouble. The local group also will target other, more mundane crimes, such as methamphetamine distribution. The center's staff is all on loan from local, state and federal law enforcement agencies. Salaries are paid by their respective agencies. The center is funded by a $3.75 million grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, part of $380 million the department has given to cities for similar operations. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: osint@yahoogroups.com Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
