National Network of Fusion Centers Capability and Capacity Enhancement

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), seeks to enhance the capability and capacity of the National Network of Fusion Centers. State and major urban area fusion centers (fusion centers) serve as focal points within the state and local environment for the receipt, analysis, gathering, and sharing of threat-related information between the federal government and state, local, tribal, territorial, and private sector partners. Fusion centers are owned and operated by state and local entities with support from federal partners in the form of deployed personnel, training, technical assistance, exercise support, security clearances, connectivity to federal systems, technology, and grant funding.

The Institute for Intergovernmental Research (IIR), in collaboration with BJA, DHS, and other federal partners, will directly support initiatives that facilitate collaboration between established state, local, tribal, territorial, and federal law enforcement and homeland security partners and support the National Network of Fusion Centers (NNFC) to enhance the national information sharing capability. Since the inception of fusion centers, IIR has collaborated with federal agency representatives and key stakeholders at the state and local levels to deliver comprehensive project management for numerous fusion center-centric and nationwide information sharing initiatives. IIR will coordinate, refine, and improve the online tool and validation process for the repeatable fusion center performance assessment.

Additionally, IIR will coordinate and facilitate various programs and initiatives for the NNFC, such as Gap Mitigation and Analytic Training and Technical Assistance Workshops, Critical Thinking Technical Assistance seminars, fusion center analytic exchanges, Joint Product Development Technical Assistance, and fusion center exchanges focusing on security and privacy compliance protocols. IIR will team with the International Association of Chiefs of Police to support various aspects of this project, including working together to facilitate the continued development and institutionalization of a national integrated fusion center capability and mitigate the actual and potential challenges faced by fusion centers.

CA/NCF