Discussion BOARD Unit 5: The field of homeland security is quite interdisciplinary, and advanced technologies are used to communicate intelligence to various local, state, and federal agencies. Fusion centers are often the conduits through which information to first responders in the field is disseminated.
If you were the senior leader of a fusion center, what challenges do you foresee your staff could face when using newly released technologies to aid first responders? Do you think public opinion could add to these challenges? As the leader, how would you address these challenges?
Answer preview
Public opinion’s ability to add to challenges in intelligence gathering is a matter of perspective. Public opinion becomes a point of concern when citizens go to court in order to raise sanctions against intelligence gathering agencies. At this point, the whole gathering process is stopped and information which could have been relative to the countries safety is missed or overlooked because of its being illegal. In general, however, I don’t think public opinion adds to these challenges. As the leader of a fusion center, I would ensure proper manning of each station through hiring a sufficient number of employees. I would also ensure proper training and familiarity of each employee with intelligence gathering tools before putting them to actual work. Proper training ensures confidence and accurate discernment of intelligence.
