Sharing Information Between Local and Federal Agencies
WASHINGTON – The police chiefs of Westport and Norwalk say they support a congressional initiative to improve communications between federal and local law enforcement agencies in the light of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Both chiefs say the FBI and the agencies must trust each other with shared information that is essential to the effective defense of the country.
“We need to get information in a quick and timely fashion,” Norwalk Police Chief Henry W. Rilling said. He added that federal authorities “are not always able to get it [information] out as fast as local authorities would like.”
“Three months ago, we didn’t think like this.” Rilling said. “But now, we need a collaboration-a task force of International Association of Chiefs of Police, the FBI, the CIA to develop a protocol to facilitate the rapid flow of information.”
Westport Police Chief William J. Chiarenzelli said information was not flowing back to the local jurisdictions and something had to be done about it. It’s been a one-way street,” Chiarenzelli said. “We’re hoping that it is handled better. Something had to be done because the FBI has the most information available transcending our nation. They can share information that will impact our region.”
Rep. Christopher Shays (R-4th) is a member of the Government Reform Committee’s National Security, Veterans Affairs and International Relations Subcommittee that held a joint hearing with two other subcommittees Tuesday to discuss the efficiency and effectiveness of the flow of information between federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. Officials from the FBI, the Immigration and Naturalization Service and the Baltimore and Philadelphia police departments testified.
An effective flow of information between federal and local state agencies has acquired increased importance since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Shays said cooperation in sharing information “proved inadequate to prevent the tragic events of the last two months.” Protecting national security against global threats requires interagency cooperation and coordination on an “unprecedented scale,” he said.
“Before the terrorists acquire the means to inflict catastrophic losses on our nation and our people, we need to be assured our first line of defense, the eyes and ears of the intelligence community and law enforcement at all levels, are seeing and hearing the same things.”
For most agencies, Shays said, “intergovernmental cooperation has become a self-defeating game of ‘I’ve Got A Secret.’ ” He added that “critical data sharing·. is often the product of good luck and happenstance of personal relationships.”
A concern expressed at the hearing was over who should be given sensitive security information and how much.. Shays said many people did not need to know about sensitive security matters because it could constitute a potential security risk. “The more people know, the less secure the information is,” he said. “Terrorists could infiltrate a small community and get access to information that is destructive. So in that sense, it would be stupid to share information. Where do you draw the line?”
Chiarenzelli said there had to be a clear understanding of trust between federal and local law enforcement agencies. “I certainly am not going to challenge someone if the information is sensitive.”, Chiarenzelli said. “If information is sensitive, don’t share it. On the flip side, I know where the first line of responsibility lies. It lies with us. I don’t want my people injured because we didn’t have the information.”
Rilling said safeguards and a protocol need to be developed to make sure that all agencies cooperate to get information across quickly and substantially. “I think everyone need to come to the table. We must find safeguards and make sure that the information is not misused. “We need to make sure we’re all on the same page.”
Rilling added that trust between agencies was of utmost importance. “We must open the doors of trust at the federal level to bring us information, Rilling said in a telephone interview. “The worst thing for us is if a law enforcement agency doesn’t give us information because they don’t trust us. We need to tighten up on our security so that information is not released. This has been done in the past and has sent up the red flag among federal law enforcement agencies. We need to find a comfort zone. Police Chiefs must be trusted to disseminate information.”
Rep. James Maloney (D-5th) said that local officials “should be given information on a need-to-know basis.” He added that “a chief of police will be as responsible with security information as an FBI agent.”
In his view, he said, “There is a need for greater coordination between the FBI and local law enforcement agencies. It’s clear now that they need to change they way they work together.”
