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SALT LAKE CITY — Law enforcement agencies dealing with major crimes and acts of terrorism like the Orlando shootings have a major network of support in the form of “fusion” centers. They are designed to help local and state police and federal agents quickly process, analyze, share and disseminate vital information related to investigations and potential threats.
Those 78 centers which were designed to close a security gap identified by the 9/11 Commission, now stand in all 50 states with additional facilities in many major metropolitan areas.
“What we’re looking for is information that might lead us to help an investigation, to enhance an investigation,” said Maj. Brian Redd of the Utah Department of Public Safety.
Utah’s fusion center — the Statewide Information and Analysis Center (SIAC) — is focused on preventing or solving terrorism, cyber, trafficking and gang crimes in the state with the help of intelligence provided by local agencies and the federal government.
Monday afternoon, representatives from SIAC were involved in a national conference call about the Orlando attack.
Though the fusion centers were created with the intent to thwart potential terror attacks, Redd said they also are designed to be a key investigative resource to police agencies.
If something similar to the Orlando shootings happened in Utah, Redd said SIAC could function essentially like a mobile command center.
“(Agents) could be pulling information on suspects, witnesses, victims and sharing that with the local investigators that would be on a response,” Redd said. “We would be doing kind of a strategic analysis and also responding to requests for information to help those that are investigating the crime that occurred.”
The center is equipped with state-of-the-art crime-fighting tools, including facial recognition software to identify nameless suspects of crimes.
Redd said there were specific and narrow parameters under which that technology could be used — essentially when there is a crime with an assigned case number.
Redd also said agents have access to police record databases to conduct link analyses.
“Detectives looking to solve a crime can say, ‘oh well this person we know is associated with this person — they were in a car a couple months ago, so that might be someone that law enforcement can go talk to to see if they have information,” Redd explained.
The center also has a secured room in which federal databases and intelligence can be accessed.
Redd stressed the importance of the “see something, say something” approach to fighting terrorism, and explained that tips about certain suspicious and potential criminal or terroristic activities and behaviors can be passed up the chain as intelligence from local police departments to the fusion centers and on to federal partners.
“Information sharing is so important when you’re trying to solve a crime,” Redd said. “One piece of information in a jurisdiction, in and of itself, may not be enough to solve a crime. But adding in another piece of information from another jurisdiction may be just what you need to make that link and solve that crime, so that’s what we try to do here at the fusion center.”
