ITACG Intelligence Guide for First Responders 2nd Edition - ISE.gov

intelligence guide for first responders - 2nd edition | general
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Joint partnerships
“Our enemies live in the seams of our jurisdictions. No single agency or nation can find them and fight them
alone. If we are to protect our citizens, working together is not just the best option, it is the only option.”
- FBI Director Mueller, Global Terrorism Today and the Challenges of Tomorrow
Federal, state, local, and tribal governments understand the benefits and value of working
together and have established several programs to protect the United States within our borders.
These programs include Joint Terrorism Task Forces, the National Joint Terrorism Task Force,
the State and Major Urban Area Fusion Centers and the National Operations Center. These
programs leverage the broad experience, knowledge, and skills of personnel from a wide variety
of fields, such as intelligence, law enforcement, fire, and emergency services.
Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF). JTTFs serve as the coordinated “action arms” for federal,
state, and local government response to terrorist threats in specific U.S. geographic regions. The
FBI is the lead agency that oversees JTTFs. The benefits of a JTTF include:
• “one-stop shopping” for law enforcement information or investigation of suspected
or real terrorist activities;
• use of a shared intelligence base;
• ability to prosecute cases in the jurisdiction that is most efficient and effective;
• task-force member awareness of investigations within a jurisdiction and ability to
assist in investigations in other jurisdictions; and
• familiarity among agencies, investigators, and managers before a crisis occurs.