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Abstract
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A fusion center is an information sharing center, many of which were jointly created between 2003 and 2007 under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Office of Justice Programs in the U.S. Department of Justice.
The fusion center literature is limited and lacks consensus regarding operational focus and strategic priorities. Perhaps the lone consistent finding in this literature is the lack of awareness among outsiders regarding what fusion centers do and the capabilities they provide. Contemporary communication research indicates the Internet serves as the primary source of information to inform what they do not understand. The present study employs a mixed methods approach that combines a content analysis of fusion center web content with fusion center self-report data gleaned from a federally funded project. This study encompasses 74 of the 77 primary and officially recognized fusion centers in the United States.
RESULTS indicate that centers provide limited information online about their organization and significantly underreport their activities and capabilities online in comparison to self-reported tasks. Information available online through official fusion centers websites is poor at best. Fusion centers self-report to engage in tasks consistent with their information sharing and analytic mission. A context for the findings is provided in addition to recommendations and study limitations.
Language: en |