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

The mission of a JTTF is to leverage the collective resources of the member agencies for the
prevention, preemption, deterrence, and investigation of terrorist acts that affect United States
interests, to disrupt and prevent terrorist acts, and to apprehend individuals who may commit
or plan to commit such acts. To further this mission, a JTTF serves as a means to facilitate
information sharing among JTTF members.
• As of January 2011, there are 104 JTTFs based nationwide, including at least one in
each of the FBI’s 56 field offices.
• More than 600 state and local agencies participate in JTTFs nationwide. Federal
representation includes the U.S. Intelligence Community, the Departments of
Homeland Security, Defense, Justice, Treasury, Transportation, Commerce, Energy,
State, and Interior, among others.
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intelligence guide for first responders - 2nd edition | general
Fusion Centers. A fusion center is a dedicated element, run by the applicable state or local
jurisdiction, that exchanges information and intelligence, maximizes resources, streamlines
operations, and improves the ability to disrupt, prevent, respond to, and recover from all threats
by analyzing data from a variety of sources. A fusion center is defined as a “collaborative effort
of two or more agencies that provide resources, expertise, and information to the center with
the goal of maximizing a center’s ability to detect, prevent, investigate, and respond to criminal
and terrorist activity.” Fusion centers focus primarily on the intelligence and fusion processes
through which information is gathered, integrated, evaluated, analyzed, and disseminated.
State and major urban area fusion centers provide analysis and information-sharing capabilities
that support the efforts of state and local law enforcement to prevent and investigate crime and
terrorism. Fusion centers receive information from a variety of sources, including state and local