Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Feds ignore state anti-terror intelligence
By Kavan Peterson, Stateline.org Staff Writer
Five years after the 9/11 terrorist attacks called into question the nation's intelligence system, state homeland security officials say the federal government still is failing to collect and analyze terror-threat information gathered by state and local authorities.
State homeland security officials in charge of new intelligence "fusion centers" told Congress last week the federal government needs to come up with a way to connect federal, state and local information-gathering sources or risk missing clues that could help prevent another terrorist attack.
They also criticized the federal government for significant delays in issuing top-secret clearance to state officials and for withholding too much information on the grounds that it is classified.
"It truly dismays me to think that five years after the September 11th attacks we are still not where we should be regarding the exchange of the information needed to prevent and respond to attacks and possible threats against our communities," Illinois State Police Col. Kenneth Bouche said in a congressional hearing in Washington, D.C., Sept. 7.
more at:
http://www.stateline.org/live/details/story?contentId=140988