https://vimeo.com/28440882Links to an external site. Watch this video about this

https://vimeo.com/28440882Links to an external site.
Watch this video about this Las Vegas area fusion center. Do you think fusion centers are set up appropriately to fulfill their post 09/11 duty to collect, analyze and share intelligence information on potential terrorist events? How do you feel about their effort to collect information about local crime trends? Is this an appropriate use of this resource in your opinion?
Danielle Response
In my opinion fusion centers are set up appropriately, but still need work. Although fusion centers are beneficial I don’t think they’re a direct correlation to eliminating potential terrorist attacks. Fusion centers are set up where many different individuals working in agencies come together and try to figure out what to do about a particular problem and what it may mean. Having a variety of people come together from different careers allows fusion centers to better understand trends and patterns happening in a certain area. This can help identify problems that can cause future threats such as drug use, robbery, and crime, that may be related to terrorism and sending people where problems arise. I think the effort that fusion centers hold is a good use of bringing people together to try to figure out trends in crime to see if they are linked to anything higher. In my opinion, it is an appropriate use of resources because it ensures communication among workers around the area and supports JTTF.
Olivia Response
Hello class,
I do not believe that fusion centers are set up appropriately to fulfill their post 9/11 duty. I believe this because the scope that they are focusing on is so small. I understand that they believe that by only focusing on one specific area they are ensuring that no important information is slipping through the cracks. However, by limiting themselves to such a small area they could be missing the big picture. Another reason I believe that there could be a better use of resources is that the fusion centers do not actually interpret the evidence, they just send it off to other organizations who will analyze it. Having a whole center of trained employees who are focusing on a niche area to just collect data about crime could be a misuse of resources. Even Lt. Tom Monahan claimed that he could not confidently say that the fusion center had helped with any terrorist attacks when asked about it by the interviewer. Overall, I believe that fusion centers could be beneficial but it is possible that our resources could be used in a more efficient way.