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Vermont
First Responder Guide to an Act of Terrorism
SECTION 4 - INTELLIGENCE
GATHERING AND DISSEMINATION
Intelligence Resources
Acts of terrorism on
American soil have made the public aware of the dangers faced
by emergency first responders. All too often, emergency responders
fall victim to or are the targets of terrorism related violence.
The Vermont State Police
Criminal Intelligence Unit in cooperation with the Department
of Public Safety’s Homeland Security Unit will be responsible
for gathering information on international and national terrorist
groups that could pose a threat to the citizens of Vermont. The
Criminal Intelligence Unit and the Homeland Security Unit will
facilitate the information sharing process to keep emergency responders
informed of current threat levels and possible target locations.
The Criminal Intelligence Unit will coordinate with federal, state,
and local intelligence gathering resources and will inform the
FBI of any terrorist information obtained from Vermont sources.
Vermont is a member
of the New England State Police Information Network (NESPIN).
NESPIN is one of six Regional Information Sharing Systems known
as (RISS). All fifty states and the District of Columbia were
divided into six information regions. Each information region
is supported by one of the six RISS sites. Vermont’s partners
in NESPIN are eastern and maritime Canada, Connecticut, Maine,
Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island. NESPIN serves
as a clearinghouse for information on multi-jurisdictional organized
crime, terrorism, drug trafficking, and other major criminal activity.
There are 555 federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies
currently participating in NESPIN.
The Vermont Statewide
Police Intelligence Network (SPIN) serves as a database for criminal
intelligence information. This system has a 24-hour off-site access
capability that gives authorized users immediate criminal intelligence
information. All criminal intelligence reports filed in Vermont
are entered into SPIN.
The Vermont Criminal
Intelligence Unit and the Homeland Security Unit also have access
to a large number of databases that are reviewed on a daily basis
for terrorism related information. These databases include but
are not limited to:
- Law Enforcement
Online (LEO) – LEO is a 24-hour, on line interactive
communications and information service used exclusively by law
enforcement. LEO provides news briefs, terrorism alerts, and
security awareness briefings.
- Treasury
Enforcement Communications System (TECS) – TECS
is a US Customs database used to track vehicles and individuals
traveling in and out of the United States.
- Canadian
Border Information/Intelligence Center (CBIC) –
CBIC is a US Border Patrol database used to track vehicles and
individuals involved in illegal smuggling in and out of the
United States.
- Computer
Aided Dispatch (CAD) – CAD is a Vermont database
that stores information on individuals, vehicles, property,
and other law enforcement information.
- National
Law Enforcement Teletype System (NLETS) – NLETS
provides a nationwide search function for law enforcement to
determine if any other law enforcement agency has had contact
with a person or vehicle.
- El Paso
Intelligence Center (EPIC) – EPIC is a US government
database that contains information on individuals, vehicles,
and groups that are involved in illegal smuggling activities.
- International
Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) – INTERPOL
provides a conduit for communication among law enforcement agencies
around the world.
- Financial
Crimes Enforcement Network (FINCEN) – FINCEN
is a database that contains bank security data, currency transactions,
and suspicious financial reports.
Intelligence/Information Sharing
In addition to these databases, the Vermont Criminal Intelligence
Unit along with the Homeland Security Unit are now actively involved
in open communications with the FBI, US Border Patrol, US Customs,
Immigration and Naturalization Service, US military intelligence,
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Canadian International
Border Enforcement Teams. This open communication allows for the
daily sharing of information and fosters closer working relationships
with all those involved in criminal intelligence gathering.
Once terrorism related information is received and analyzed, a
variety of methods will be utilized to disseminate this information
to emergency responders. The Homeland Security Unit currently maintains
a series of e-mail groups used to facilitate the information sharing
process. These e-mail groups include law enforcement, fire fighters,
emergency medical services, US military, State Police Officers,
and communication centers. On a weekly basis, the Homeland Security
Unit will send out a terrorism update via these e-mail groups to
keep Vermont emergency responders informed of the most current terrorism
information.
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