ACLU Releases New Report on Government "Fusion Centers"
Says they must be open, carefully monitored and subject to restraints
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Charles Samuelson, Executive Director, 651-645-4097 x123
St. Paul, Minn - The American Civil Liberties Union today released a report outlining serious concerns about new institutions called "fusion centers," which have been created in over 40 states around the nation - including Minnesota. Fusion centers vary widely, but generally are centers intended to improve the sharing of anti-terrorism intelligence among state, local and federal government agencies and the private sector.
"Our report reveals that fusion centers lack oversight, boundary-setting, and checks and balances, which are crucial to protecting the rights of innocent Americans," said Charles Samuelson. "There is a long history of local and federal law enforcement agencies abusing their domestic spying powers. The Minnesota legislature - as well as Congress - must lift the cloak of secrecy, examine these centers closely, and make certain that they are acting within the law - and that they aren't pursuing an ineffective, wasteful, dragnet approach that is diverting Minnesota's resources away from the basic law enforcement needs."
While the ACLU agrees that the ostensible purpose of fusion centers - improving the sharing of anti-terrorism intelligence among different levels and arms of government - is legitimate and important, taken as a whole, fusion centers raise serious questions about privacy and effectiveness.
The ACLU report identifies five specific problems with fusion centers as they currently exist:
• Ambiguous Lines of Authority. Overlapping jurisdictions create the potential for manipulation of differing laws to evade accountability.
• Private Sector Participation. Fusion centers are incorporating private corporations into the intelligence process, further threatening privacy.
• Military Participation. Fusion centers are involving military personnel in law enforcement activities in troubling ways.
• Data Mining. Federal fusion center guidelines encourage wholesale data collection and manipulation processes that threaten privacy.
• Excessive Secrecy. Public oversight, individual redress and the very effectiveness of fusion centers are threatened by excessive secrecy.
"The Bush administration is pushing an expansive vision for fusion centers that raises serious question about the direction these centers are headed," said Charles Samuelson. "Using firefighters and other emergency personnel to spy on Americans will undoubtedly lead people to mistrust and fear them. During a fire or medical emergency, this is the last thing anybody needs."
To access the complete report: "Fusion Center Report"