Protecting the public requires much more than enforcing laws. To ensure the safety and well[1]being of individuals, families and communities, governments are looking for ways to reduce crime and violence. To unveil and stop human trafficking. Tackle complex issues around addiction, homelessness and mental health. Protect borders. And more. To succeed, they need access to the right data at the right time – and they need advanced analytics to help guide their decisions.
FUSION CENTER PROTECTS CITIZENS AND NATIONAL SECURITY WITH FAST ACCESS TO QUALITY INTELLIGENCE
Often the information needed to crack a complex criminal investigation or prevent a terrorist attack is out there but scattered among various systems and organizations.
Members of law enforcement and intelligence organizations work tirelessly to combat threats such as organized criminal groups, narcotics and weapons trafficking, human trafficking and terrorist activity. While each entity has its own area of expertise and associated data, connecting them to one another and facilitating collaboration enhances overall effectiveness. That’s precisely why fusion centers exist.
Fusion centers are state or locally owned and operated, serving as intelligence hubs for the receipt, analysis and sharing of crime and threat-related information among local, state, federal and private sector partners. They serve as a primary conduit between front-line personnel, government leadership and the Homeland Security Enterprise. Through the work of fusion centers, more dangerous individuals are apprehended and firearms and drugs are seized, helping protect law-abiding citizens from harm.
As one of 80 fusion centers in the US, the Northern California Regional Intelligence Center (NCRIC) helps safeguard communities of 15 Bay Area counties from human-made threats and natural hazards. The North – ern California High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (NC HIDTA) Executive Board established NCRIC in 2007.