For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
Contact: 202-282-8010
New Orleans—Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Deputy Secretary Jane Holl Lute today delivered remarks highlighting the Department’s continued commitment to sustaining and supporting fusion centers and the key role they play in facilitating information sharing among federal, state, local and tribal and private sector partners at the fourth annual National Fusion Center Conference in New Orleans.
During her remarks, Deputy Secretary Lute emphasized the value of fusion centers as the focal point for timely and accurate sharing of homeland security information and intelligence—recognizing that good information is critical to every aspect of coordination between DHS and its critical partners to protect American against acts of terrorism and criminal threats.
She underscored DHS’ ongoing support of state and local fusion centers at all stages of development—including the recent launch of a new Fusion Center Initiative that will ensure improved coordination among DHS elements that support or interface with fusion centers; the establishment of an interagency Fusion Center program management office designed to lead a unified effort to coordinate and support the efforts of all participating agencies; and DHS’ commitment to deploy personnel to all 72 fusion centers by the end of fiscal year 2010.
Deputy Secretary Lute also reiterated the Department’s continued commitment to protecting the privacy, civil rights and civil liberties of the American people at every stage of the information sharing process.
For more information, visit www.dhs.gov.
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