Mark Schlachtenhaufen
EDMOND — A new state information-sharing unit is helping combat domestic terrorism, a slightly greater concern than foreign-based threats, a state official said.
Fusion centers were started in an attempt to break down barriers in the exchange of information between U.S. agencies. However, some critics contend that they are potential vehicles for abuse of civil liberties and personal privacy.
State Sen. Steve Russell, R-Oklahoma City, vice chairman of the Senate’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee, said he is not aware of any evidence of such abuses by the Oklahoma Information Fusion Center, operational since May 2008 under the OSBI.
Russell said like many Oklahomans he understands the privacy concerns about intelligence sharing, which must be balanced against the realities of living in a post-Sept. 11, 2001, post-Oklahoma City bombing world.
“Oklahoma is ahead of a lot of states,” Russell said. “We recognize this is a real possibility domestically or internationally.”
In 2004 and 2005, many states began creating fusion centers with various local, state and federal funds.
The development of guidelines for fusion centers was separated into three phases — law enforcement intelligence, public safety and the private sector, according to a fusion center guideline fact sheet. The guidelines were to be used for homeland security efforts as well as all crimes.
State Rep. Charles Key, R-Oklahoma City, who previously raised concerns about the government’s investigation of the Oklahoma City bombing, said constituents have told him they feel the fusion center represents a federal intrusion into the state, and that it is not a traditional state agency since it receives some federal funds.
Key said other constituent concerns include government’s ever-increasing ability to gather intelligence on citizens and the increased possibility of constitutional rights being violated.
Key said he has the utmost respect for members of the law enforcement community, and his beef is more with the federal government than state officials. He said he is pondering possible action related to the fusion center.
In March, OSBI Director DeWade Langley and Deputy Director Thomas Jordan issued a written response to a request for information on the fusion center by Key.
In the response, the OSBI officials wrote that the center “exists to identify threats and prevent the loss of life that has occurred in previous attacks,” and that it “is committed to accomplishing this task while honoring and protecting privacy and civil liberties.”
Key’s query was partly inspired by recent furor over Missouri’s Information Analysis Center’s “The Modern Militia Movement,” an unclassified, law enforcement-sensitive report released in January.
The report stated that militia are “most commonly associated with third-party political groups” and supported presidential candidates including Republican Ron Paul, Libertarian Bob Barr and Constitution Party candidate Chuck Baldwin.
“Fusion Centers throughout the country operate under intense scrutiny from the media and public,” Langley and Jordan wrote. “The situation with the Missouri Fusion Center is an example of what can happen when products are distributed without being vetted for the impact the bulletin might have on individuals.”
Russell said some of the intelligence gathered by the state’s fusion center is available on a “need-to-know” basis. Bryan Rizzi, agent in charge of the OSBI’s intelligence unit and director of the state’s fusion center, said he could not disclose sensitive information gathered by the center.
State Sen. Don Barrington, R-Lawton, chairman of the Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee, said privacy needs and counter-terrorism efforts must be balanced. He said he has been part of military briefings and some terrorists have one goal — to harm U.S. interests.
Barrington said he is unsure how the final fusion center program will appear, and he wants to ensure that private information and citizens are safe.
Rizzi said state officials knew there would be privacy-related concerns and they understood the center would be scrutinized. With a wealth of information available through its Web site, the center is as transparent as possible, Rizzi said. Also, it is believed to be one of only two fusion centers in the nation with a privacy policy approved by the federal government, he said.
New way to submit tips
Rizzi said the fusion center monitors the world for events that may effect Oklahoma, and lessons learned from each incident aid state counter-terrorism efforts. State officials believe that while international-based terrorism remains a threat, a greater concern is the potential for threats coming from within the U.S., Rizzi said.
Within the fusion center is a Watch Center that receives criminal and terrorism activity information, which is recorded and maintained in a log book, according to the fusion center’s privacy policy posted at its Web site. The information is disseminated to local, state, federal and tribal law enforcement, other fusion centers, the public and to private entities as appropriate.
Rizzi urged Oklahomans to be diligent and to report suspicious activity to authorities. The public may submit tips to the fusion center at www.ok.gov/okfusion/ or to the FBI at 290-7770.
At the fusion center, an analyst would review the information and combine it with other information to attempt to give it meaning and to determine if there is a credible threat, Rizzi said. The center is staffed with an analyst Monday-Friday, and analysts are on call after hours, he said.
marks@edmondsun.com | 341-2121 ext. 102
