Fusion centers to improve integration

SAN FRANCISCO, March 21 (UPI) -- Hundreds of security officials attended a conference in California to discuss homeland security initiatives and other anti-terrorism plans.

The National Fusion Center Conference, held in San Francisco, brought together more than 900 top law enforcement and homeland security officials to discuss integrating fusion centers located in urban areas around the United States with national security initiatives to improve communication for emergency response to terrorism and other threats. The conference was jointly sponsored by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the FBI among organizations, the DHS reported.

"Working together -- leveraging federal as well as state and local networks; moving relevant information and intelligence quickly; enabling rapid analytic and operational judgments -- that is what this network of centers is all about," Charles Allen, Homeland Security undersecretary for intelligence and analysis, said in a statement.

Security officials at the state and city levels around the United States have been working since the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, to create information gathering centers to coordinate response to emergency efforts. Now, based on a presidential initiative, security heads are working to integrate the local centers with national sites for greater information sharing capabilities.

"Terrorism remains a credible and ongoing threat to our country," said Bart Johnson, Office of the Director of National Intelligence director for homeland security and law enforcement support and outreach. "The ODNI and all of the relevant federal, state, local, and tribal agencies must maintain the focus on and commitment to collaboration to mitigate this threat."