U.S. Agencies Should Share Intelligence

Five years have passed since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, and while Congress, the intelligence community, and state and local governments have taken steps to make the country safer, there remains what the Sept. 11 commission called a "lack of imagination" in our homeland security efforts, especially in the area of information sharing.

As a former patrol officer, I know what a resource state and local law enforcement could be if only the federal government could figure out a way to share intelligence more effectively. The intelligence community should do more to provide officers with the intelligence they need to expose terrorists living among us and to disrupt their plans before they strike.

The men and women of local law enforcement know the neighborhoods they patrol and often are in the best position to detect and investigate criminal activity that might be connected to terrorism. A local money-laundering scheme, identity-theft case or burglary might prove to be a precursor crime that -- if discovered early and matched with the right intelligence -- could help officers stop terrorists. Accordingly, officers on the beat should see themselves not only as first responders to acts of terrorism but also as "first preventers" of them. To perform this role well, however, they must be armed with the right intelligence at the right time.

As a commander with the Metropolitan Police Department, I long focused on advancing community policing in Washington. As I embark on my new duties

as chief of police, I am committed to promoting

intelligence-led policing as a tool to help save lives and protect property from terrorists and other criminals. Improving information sharing and making it more relevant to day-to-day police work is essential to this effort.

To date, there has not been a true meeting of the minds between the intelligence community and local law enforcement about what information should be shared and how. Without a sea change in mind-sets, officers will never achieve the situational awareness they need about potential threats to their communities and will never be effective partners in the war on terrorism.

Fortunately, change is afoot.

Last fall, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-Miss.), the new chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, released a report titled "LEAP: A Law Enforcement Assistance and Partnership Strategy" that outlined seven proposals to improve information sharing between the federal government and state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies.

Last month, I had the privilege of sitting on a panel with law enforcement colleagues from around the country at a Georgetown University conference. The range of communities represented was diverse, but there was a strong consensus to get behind the LEAP approach. I am particularly enthusiastic about the proposal that would allow certain local patrol officers with appropriate privacy and civil liberties training to have a presence at the National Counterterrorism Center, the clearinghouse for fusing homeland security information and intelligence. By working with intelligence analysts at the NCTC, officers would help the intelligence community identify the type of information that is helpful to cops on the beat.

For too long, the participation of local law enforcement in terrorism-prevention efforts has been an afterthought. I am heartened that we finally have Congress's attention. I welcome the focus on intelligence-led policing. I encourage a common, nationwide approach. And I encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting Rep. Thompson's effort to advance the LEAP policy proposals.

-- Cathy L. Lanier

Washington

The writer is acting chief of police of the District.