fusion center

Dozens of state and local intelligence fusion centers operating nationwide are having difficulties juggling the multiple information systems that provide them with data, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office. Forty-three fusion centers were operational as of September and another 15 are in development. They have been created since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks with a goal of advancing information-sharing among law enforcement authorities to improve domestic counterterrorism intelligence.

Firefighters in major cities are being trained to take on a new role as lookouts for terrorism, raising concerns of eroding their standing as American icons and infringing on people's privacy. Unlike police, firefighters and emergency medical personnel don't need warrants to access hundreds of thousands of homes and buildings each year, putting them in a position to spot behavior that could indicate terrorist activity or planning.

Inside a nondescript office building's basement, is a law enforcement tool of the state that experts say is becoming more valuable each year. The Strategic Analysis and Information Center is located in Ohio's emergency operations center on West Dublin-Granville Road in Columbus. Known as an evolving "fusion center," it enables the state to work with all levels of federal, state and local government to extend the already long arm of the law.