Understanding the Intelligence Practices of State, Local, and Tribal Law Enforcement Agencies

Police Chief Magazine

One of the major trends in law enforcement has been changing expectations regarding criminal intelligence practices among state, local, and tribal (SLT) law enforcement agencies. Enhancing intelligence efforts has emerged as a critical issue for the prevention of terrorist acts as well as for addressing criminal threats. An increasing number of SLT law enforcement agencies have expanded their intelligence capacities. Moreover, critical to expanding information sharing expectations is the institutionalization of fusion centers. Despite these dramatic changes, little research exists that highlights issues related to the intelligence practices of SLT law enforcement agencies and fusion centers.

This Research in Brief is a first step in filling this knowledge gap. The findings are based on a national survey of personnel from fusion centers and SLT officers who examined the experiences of SLT agencies and fusion centers for building an intelligence capacity and understanding critical gaps in the sharing of intelligence.

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