Essay Sample on Intelligence for Law Enforcement VS Homeland Security

Introduction

There are various levels of law enforcement in the United States of America which include; local, county, state, federal, and task forces. These levels fall under two broad categories which are Law Enforcement and Homeland Security agencies. These agencies have different sources of intelligence and databases as they operate on various jurisdictions and levels. The law enforcement agency in the USA is a significant component of the criminal justice system complemented by correction facilities and courts. These departments collectively form a robust mechanism of investigating suspected criminal undertakings as well as administering criminal punishment. Law enforcement operates via the various governmental police agencies that have been put into place which include; Sheriffs at the County level, City as well as State Police Departments and Federal Law Enforcement. The purpose of these agencies is to collect data, information, and intelligence to investigate suspected criminal activity, send the findings to the courts as well as temporarily detain suspects of illegal activity as they await judicial action. Homeland Security is a national umbrella that encompasses all the efforts to ensure that the homeland (USA) is safe and secure as well as resilient to terrorists' attacks and other hazards by reducing the vulnerability of the USA to attacks through minimization of the damage caused by collecting intelligence, information, and data to prevent such occurrences. Although the data for Law Enforcement and Homeland Security differ, there is sharing of data between these two entities of security. This article compares the differences in the information that is available to the Homeland Security and the Law Enforcement professionals via analysis of the data quality and approaches used to acquire and utilize it by use of real-life situations that are based on open source data as well as research.

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Databases Used for Intelligence by Law Enforcement and Homeland Security

Law enforcement agency in the USA uses local, county, and state databases to acquire intelligence and useful information. Local and county databases used by LE include; National Law Enforcement Telecommunications System (NLETS), Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Information Systems (NADDIS), National Crime Information Center (NCIC), Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS), while the more extensive department subscribes to LEXISNEXIS and Analyst Notebook. The state LE databases for intelligence include the same applications that have been researched by local as well as county professionals such as LexisNexis and Analyst Notebook and Criminal Intel Analysts. At the state level, the Law Enforcement also uses its unique databases that are designed to monitor traffic stop recordings such as history and warnings. The Homeland Security uses most of the databases mentioned above; however, besides, the homeland security uses; Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Citizenship and Immigration Services and United State Coast Guard.

National Law Enforcement Telecommunications System (NLETS)

NLETS is a network for sharing information in the Law Enforcement agency. This is an interface that is used to search the criminal and driver records for each state as well as the License Plate Reader records. This database is the most suitable tool to search for traffic violations and other minor offenses that are not in the National Crime Information Center (NLETS, 2019). The NLETS role has evolved over the years from being just an interstate telecommunications mechanism for LE to a broader network that services the entire justice community at the all the levels; local, county, state and federal. The mission of this network is to provide information and data in a secure environment that has the highest degree of safety, security, and protection of human life and property. The database also assists the homeland security agency and other organizations that have similar missions in the enforcement of the law (NLETS 2019).

Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Information Systems (NADDIS)

NADDIS is a database that is operated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) that has reports and records of people involved in the trafficking of drugs in and out of the United States. The law enforcement intelligence analysts and investigators can retrieve reports from this database which is used as the first step in a drug crime inquiry to establish if the individual has prior reports of investigations or even mention in any drug-related cases. The information that is gained through this database has been used by the law enforcement agency to carry out background checks on employees, informants, and contractors. NADDIS has significantly been used and shared by many federal agencies post-9/11 and contributes records kept by the FBI and Department of Homeland Security (Kenney 221). As a suitable tool to detect terrorism-related heroin trafficking, the database has been used to link the Taliban-influenced government personnel in Afghanistan for selective enforcement mechanisms, drug epidemics and to determine the impact of sharing of information on personal privacy and civil liberties.

National Crime Information Center (NCIC)

NCIC is the lifeline of the law enforcement agency as it is an electronic clearinghouse that has crime data that is available for every criminal justice agency national comprehensive anytime. This database helps the professionals in the criminal justice field to capture fugitives, identify terrorists, locate missing persons, and recover any stolen property (NCIC 1). This tool also helps the officers of the law enforcement agency to perform their duties and responsibilities safely and provide data and information that is needed to protect the general public. The database has twenty-one files and has images that can be associated with the NCIC records to assist identify people as well as property. It has an index that is automated and contains criminal history which is accessible via the same network as NCIC.

Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS)

IAFIS is a database used by the law enforcement agencies that consists of criminal history and fingerprint systems that are maintained in the United States by the FBI. This platform provides capabilities to search automated fingerprints, latent search capabilities, and electronic image storage (IAFIS Services E1). This technology enables the agencies to gather automatic responses in the shortest time possible, less than two hours.

LexisNexis and Analyst Notebook

LexisNexis is a corporation that offers American law enforcement agencies and homeland security computer-based legal research that include business research and risk management services by integrating social media as a source of information. This corporation helps in uncovering information that organization and government agencies need to get the complete picture of individuals, assets, and businesses with the industry-leading data as well as for analytic solutions (LEXISNEXIS E1). Analyst Notebook helps the security personnel to acquire useful information as it is a visual analysis tool that turns data into intelligence. The solutions given provides innovative features that include; connected network visualizations, geographical and temporal views to uncover hidden connections as well as data patterns.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Intelligence Enterprise

The primary mission of the DHS is to protect the United States from terrorist attacks within its borders as well as minimize the damage. The DHS has an intelligence component that supports the mission of this department and is also a member of the United States Intelligence Community. It has a powerful office of Intelligence and Analysis that coordinates and analyze any information collected to provide a common operational picture as well as acting as a source of information for local, private and state sector partners. Congress established that information sharing is a top priority of the DHS intelligence component through the establishment of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (Department of Homeland Security E1).

Citizenship and Immigration Services

The USCIS adjudicators access numerous databases intending to ensure that the most effective and appropriate security decisions are made such as E-verify, application of all the DHS, IC and state databases for adjudication of citizenship as well as residency applications. These professionals also use specific case management systems for application processing.

United State Coast Guard

The United State Coast Guard is a maritime, multi-mission military service that has naval law enforcement with international and domestic waters jurisdiction. The Coast Guard has an intelligence coordination center that is co-located with the office of the Naval Intel. This department uses coast guard watch data tools in monitoring global maritime traffic and threats. It also uses IC databases for counter-terror and even counters drug information. The local units of the coastguard use NCIC, NLETS as well as other applicable applications (Guard, US Coast 76).

Conclusion

The levels of law enforcement and security agencies in the United States of America which include; local, county, state, federal, and task forces. These levels fall under two broad categories which are Law Enforcement and Homeland Security agencies. These agencies have different sources of intelligence and databases as they operate on various jurisdictions and levels. The data for Law Enforcement and Homeland Security differ; however, there is a sharing of data between these two entities of security. There are differences in the information that is available to the Homeland Security and the Law Enforcement professionals via analysis of the data quality. However, data sharing ensures that there is the interconnection of these two entities for maximum security within the US borders.

References

Department of Homeland Security (DHS), (2019). Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Intelligence Enterprise. Retrieved from: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/homesec/R40602.pdfGuard, US Coast. 'US Coast Guard: America s Maritime Guardian'. Lulu. com, 2012. Retrieved from: https://books.google.co.ke/books?hl=en&lr=&id=o-zBAwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PR1&dq=United+State+Coast+Guard&ots=WMK9qp_-kq&sig=mp-Q-BGnnwjgqCjpVtSku6Zu2nI&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=United%20State%20Coast%20Guard&f=false

IAFIS Services, (2017). Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS). Retrieved from: https://www.fbi.gov/services/information-management/foipa/privacy-impact-assessments/iafis

Kenney, C. "Law Enforcement Agencies and Drug Trafficking Enterprises." (2003). Retrieved from: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Michael_Kenney2/publication/233216157_Intelligence_Games_Comparing_the_Intelligence_Capabilities_of_Law_Enforcement_Agencies_and_Drug_Trafficking_Enterprises/links/02e7e5373b77775383000000.pdf

LEXISNEXIS, (2019). LEXISNEXIS Social Media use in Law Enforcement. Retrieved from: https://www.lexisnexis.com/risk/downloads/whitepaper/Infographic-Social-Media-Use-in-Law-Enforcement.pdf

NCIC, (2018). 'National Crime Information Center'. FBI Services. Retrieved from: https://www.fbi.gov/services/cjis/ncic/

NLETS, (2019). 'National Law Enforcement Telecommunications System. What is NLETS?' Retrieved from: http://www.nlets.org/about/who-we-are