State, Local and Tribal Government

State, Local and Tribal Government

Building a P/CRCL Network

Governors’ Homeland Security Advisors Council (GHSAC) — The Council was created by National Governors Association’s (NGA) Center for Best Practices in June 2006 to facilitate the sharing of homeland security information and expertise among the homeland security directors from each State and territory. The Council brings together the top state homeland security officials to:

• inform the work of the NGA Center for Best Practices "by sharing ideas and best practices, identifying emerging issues, and reviewing and analyzing the impacts of Federal homeland security activities on the states; and
• "inform the governors of the impacts of Federal homeland security legislation, regulations, and policies on the states."

This site contains a list of publications discussing homeland security and technology issues.

• Protecting Privacy in Integrated Justice Systems (April 2006) (15pp | 199kb | PDF) — "This Issue Brief…explores [privacy protection] issues and recommends strategies that governors and other state policymakers can employ to improve privacy protections within state justice information sharing initiatives. It also includes a number of resources to which states can turn for more in-depth information."

National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) — "[T]he National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) is a nonprofit, 501(c)3 association representing state chief information officers and information technology executives and managers from the states, territories, and the District of Columbia…NASCIO provides state CIOs and state members with products and services designed to support the challenging role of the state CIO, stimulate the exchange of information and promote the adoption of IT best practices and innovations."

NASCIO Security and Privacy Committee "This committee's charge is to support NASCIO’s strategic objective of protecting the information technology infrastructure of the twenty-first century. To preserve government’s ability to serve citizens, State CIOs must help protect state IT systems and services, while preserving the privacy of personal and sensitive information within those systems. State governments meet this obligation in the context of the larger IT network that interconnects state, local, and federal systems and allows direct citizen interaction with government programs and services through the Internet. A major focus is integration and coordination of federal, state, local government and private sector efforts that further national cyber security agenda."

Security & Privacy Committee Publications

• Think Before You Dig: The Privacy Implications of Data Mining & Aggregation (September 2004) (11pp. | 677kb | PDF) — "Educate agencies, legislators, stakeholders, privacy advocates and the public upfront about any projects that entail data mining or aggregation or that could be perceived as including those types of activities. Remember that not all such projects involve personal information or are for terrorism-related purposes. Bake privacy into any new data mining or aggregation technologies during their development so that you will be able to clearly state how citizen privacy will be protected. The ‘Fair Information Principles’ provide good guidance."
• Keeping Citizen Trust: What Can A State CIO Do To Protect Privacy? (October 2006) (18pp | 217kb | PDF) — "[M]any states are still in the process of determining how best to address privacy across the state enterprise, and the state CIO’s involvement varies greatly from state-to-state. Regardless of where responsibility for privacy may reside in a given state, the one constant among all states is the need for the many privacy stakeholders to understand privacy’s importance and how citizen privacy can be protected. This brief provides state CIOs with a common frame of reference for the importance of citizens’ information privacy and some initial ways for states to implement and manage privacy protections."

National Governors Association (NGA) - The National Governors Association is a bipartisan organization of the nation’s governors that “promotes visionary state leadership, shares best practices and speaks with a unified voice on national policy.” The NGA addresses many issues affecting states, including criminal information sharing. NGA and GHSAC (above) publish an on-line newsletter, which is updated every Thursday, and offers information on NGA work and best practices.

United States Conference of Mayors (USCM)  - “The U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) is the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more.” Each city’s mayor represents it in the Conference, where they seek to “promote the development of effective national urban/suburban policy, strengthen federal-city relationships … and create a forum in which mayors can share ideas and information.” Although not specific to fusion centers, the USCM website addresses relevant civil and human rights issues.

Source: Page created by the DHS/Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties and the DHS/Privacy Office in cooperation with the DOJ, Office of Justice Programs.