When the dust cleared from 9/11, Americans began asking questions. How could this have been planned in our midst? What did we know about the hijackers before the attack? Why didn’t intelligence about the attacks fall into the right hands before Sept. 11, 2001?
The federal government responded in one way by pumping at least $426 million over five years into the development of fusion centers. There are now more than 70 of them across the nation. The goal is for local, state and federal authorities to have a central place where they can collect and share intelligence on possible criminal or terrorist threats.
Civil libertarians have warned that fusion centers may over-collect personal information about innocent Americans in their zeal to stop the next attack. One federal program aims to have fusion center analysts play a greater role in vetting suspicious activity reports that flow in from police, private security and concerned citizens.
Fusion center video tour
Tour the Southern Nevada Counter-Terrorism Center with its director, Lt. Tom Monahan.
Where are they?
Below is a map of fusion centers compiled through interviews with fusion center representatives and other public sources. If you think a fusion center might have a report about you, a request under your state’s open-records laws can be filed at the addresses provided below.
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