Across the United States, law enforcement agencies and fusion centers have spent decades building intelligence-sharing systems designed to protect communities and prevent attacks. These efforts saved lives, disrupted threats and strengthened national security in the years following 9/11.
But evolving threats, emerging technologies and shifting priorities now demand that these systems be strengthened and modernized. This article is not a criticism of the professionals who built these networks. Rather, it is a recognition that today’s threat landscape requires renewed focus on intelligence sharing so that officers in every jurisdiction receive the information they need to protect their communities.
As global tensions escalate and conflicts rage across the Middle East, threats to American communities are becoming more immediate and complex. Terrorism, cyber-physical attacks and emerging technologies such as coordinated drone swarms are no longer distant concerns. They can strike anywhere, at any time.
Yet across the country, police agencies of all sizes — urban departments, rural sheriff’s offices, small towns and campus police departments — still struggle to receive timely, actionable intelligence. Systems created after 9/11 remain in place, but many have weakened over time due to shifting priorities, limited resources and competing demands. Law enforcement must now reenergize and modernize information-sharing systems to stay ahead of emerging threats.
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Information sharing gaps across law enforcement
Gaps in intelligence sharing affect agencies across the country. While sectors such as finance, utilities, real estate and aviation benefit from dedicated Information Sharing and Analysis Centers (ISACs), many law enforcement agencies remain disconnected from structured, real-time intelligence networks.
Some departments rely on email bulletins. Others depend on personal relationships or informal communication channels. Many agencies still operate with outdated systems that fail to deliver operationally relevant intelligence to officers in the field.
Campus police departments illustrate this challenge particularly well. Colleges and universities now function as complex communities, often hosting tens of thousands of students, faculty and visitors while supporting research laboratories, hospitals and major public events. These environments represent critical infrastructure in their own right.
Despite this, campus law enforcement currently lacks a dedicated ISAC to connect departments to real-time intelligence networks.
Paul M. Cell, executive director of the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA), believes stronger information-sharing frameworks are essential. “As campus law enforcement leaders, we have a unique responsibility to protect millions of students and staff, and that duty cannot be fulfilled in isolation,” Cell said. “We must strengthen real-time information sharing between local, state, federal and university police partners so we can anticipate threats before they materialize. A formal information sharing and analysis framework — such as an ISAC — informed by modern tools including artificial intelligence would greatly enhance our collective ability to safeguard campuses and communities.”
Fusion centers continue to provide critical analytical support. The Department of Homeland Security’s Fusion Center Engagement and Information Sharing Strategy (2022–2026) reaffirms their central role in connecting federal, state, local, tribal and territorial partners.
However, over the past two decades broader political and societal trends — shifting priorities, limited resources and competing agendas — have reduced emphasis on consistent local and regional intelligence sharing. Many agencies have lost reliable access to real-time information, leaving officers in rural, campus and smaller jurisdictions at greater risk.
Recognition of this challenge is growing, and leaders across the law enforcement community are increasingly focused on strengthening and modernizing these systems.
Some states demonstrate what is possible when intelligence sharing is prioritized. In New Jersey, the State Police and the Regional Operations and Intelligence Center (ROIC) built a statewide network that connects hundreds of municipalities. By combining emerging technologies with disciplined, relationship-based engagement, intelligence now flows to local chiefs, campus police departments and rural agencies alike.
At the national level, Russ Porter, a longtime homeland security official from Iowa with decades of experience leading intelligence programs and fusion centers, warns that some of the collaborative structures created after 9/11 have eroded over time. “Of greatest concern has been the slow erosion over the past decade of the federal, state, local and campus law enforcement advisory councils to the cabinet secretaries that created a solid infrastructure of law enforcement information sharing in the wake of the 9/11 Commission Report,” Porter said.
Colonel Rick Fuentes (Ret.), former superintendent of the New Jersey State Police and now deputy director of the Rutgers University Miller Center on Policing and Community Resilience, also believes the system must be reinvigorated. Fuentes chairs the International Association of Chiefs of Police Homeland Security Committee and has been closely involved in national efforts to address intelligence-sharing gaps. “Threats today are more complex, fast-moving and dangerous than ever,” Fuentes said. “After 9/11, we built a constitutional, ethical and effective intelligence capability. It was nationally coordinated, locally driven and prevention-focused. It rested on the foundation of collaborative partnerships, insightful analysis and rapid information and intelligence sharing. But after 25 years, reinvigorating these capabilities isn’t just overdue — it is urgent.”
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Emerging threats require an integrated response
Modern threats span foreign adversary influence, domestic political extremism, hybrid cyber-physical attacks and advanced technologies such as drone swarms targeting mass gatherings.
Major international events such as the FIFA World Cup will require extensive security coordination. But the next attack may not occur at a major venue. It could strike a campus, rural festival or mid-sized town with limited counterterrorism capacity.
The question is no longer whether intelligence exists. The challenge is ensuring it reaches officers in time to act.
Social media has also become a critical source of early warning. Where graffiti or physical messaging once signaled emerging extremist activity, online platforms now provide the earliest indicators of threats.
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Departments of all sizes must train officers to recognize suspicious activity and potential threats online. Integrating social media monitoring into local and regional intelligence networks helps ensure that early warning signals are identified before they escalate into incidents.
Civilian partners remain another essential part of the intelligence ecosystem. Programs such as “See Something, Say Something” and Crime Stoppers provide law enforcement with information that officers cannot observe on their own.
Over time, however, public awareness and training around these programs have diminished. Reinvigorating these partnerships is critical. Civilian reporting remains one of the most effective ways to detect emerging threats.
Private security professionals also represent an underutilized resource. Every security officer working at a campus, corporate facility or public venue can serve as a force multiplier when properly trained to recognize and report suspicious activity.
In the years immediately following 9/11, integrating private security into broader intelligence networks was a priority. Over time, many of these efforts weakened. Strengthening partnerships between private security and law enforcement is essential to building a more resilient national security posture.
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Solutions to strengthen intelligence sharing
To strengthen intelligence sharing and restore the operational advantages built after 9/11, law enforcement leaders should consider several key steps:
- Establish dedicated ISACs for underserved law enforcement communities. Campus, rural and small-town police departments need structured access to real-time intelligence streams modeled after sectors such as finance or aviation.
- Standardize technology and reporting platforms. Cloud-based systems, mobile applications and encrypted communications can allow officers in every jurisdiction to share and receive actionable intelligence quickly.
- Reinvigorate civilian partnerships. Programs such as Crime Stoppers and “See Something, Say Something” should be actively promoted through outreach campaigns that remind the public they are a critical first line of defense.
- Integrate private security professionals into intelligence networks. Baseline training in threat recognition and reporting should be encouraged, along with real-time communication links between private security personnel and local law enforcement.
- Train officers to recognize online threat indicators. Social media signals are often the modern equivalent of “graffiti on the wall.” Agencies must incorporate online monitoring into intelligence workflows.
- Strengthen officer training and retention. Intelligence sharing only works when officers understand how to evaluate, prioritize and act on information. Regular exercises, cross-agency simulations and continuing education remain essential.
- Foster stronger state, federal and local coordination. Successful models such as New Jersey’s ROIC demonstrate how technology combined with strong professional relationships can deliver intelligence to officers across jurisdictions.
- Leverage emerging technologies responsibly. Drone detection systems, cybersecurity monitoring tools and AI-driven analytics can enhance situational awareness, but they should complement — not replace — the relationship-based intelligence networks that remain central to effective policing.
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The leadership challenge ahead
The intelligence architecture built after 9/11 demonstrated what coordinated information sharing can accomplish. It created a system capable of connecting federal, state, local and campus partners while preventing threats before they materialized.
But threats have evolved, technologies have advanced and some of the collaborative structures that once strengthened intelligence sharing have weakened.
Rebuilding that edge does not require starting from scratch. The foundation already exists. What is needed now is renewed leadership, modernized technology and stronger partnerships across law enforcement, private security and the communities officers serve.
Ensuring that actionable intelligence reaches every officer — whether in a major city, small town or university campus — will determine how effectively law enforcement can respond to the threats of today and tomorrow.
