GAO: Info-share problems at fusion centers

WASHINGTON, Dec. 5 (UPI) -- Officials at state and local fusion centers have problems accessing federal networks and can't handle the volume of data they receive when they do, auditors say.

The Government Accountability Office last week released its findings about the centers, which have sprung up in dozens of states and cities in recent years, in an effort to maximize information-sharing and coordination among state and local law enforcement, public safety and other agencies, and between them and the federal government.

The Department of Homeland Security has officials assigned to many of the centers, and has sought to integrate them into its information-sharing networks.

But the GAO report suggests there is still much work to do in this area. Officials from 31 of the 58 fusion centers who auditors surveyed said they had trouble logging on to federal computer systems, while 18 reported trouble handling the high volume of information coming in on those networks, and 11 said there was too much duplication, with the same data coming from more than one different source.

Twelve centers also reported challenges meeting federal security requirements, the report said.