Fusion Centers
Fusion centers are state and local intelligence hubs that collect, analyze, and distribute information amongst various law enforcement agencies. Although these centers originally were designed to counteract terrorism, today the mission of fusion centers has far exceeded that original scope. Today, many fusion centers investigate ordinary criminal, and even non-criminal, activity.
Although there is an important role for information-sharing between government agencies, left unchecked it is prone to abuse. For example, much controversy has arisen over the use of fusion centers to collect and disseminate information about political protests and other First Amendment-protected activities. The Policing Project has developed model legislation regulating the use of fusion centers, to help ensure that sensitive data is handled responsibly and to establish safeguards protecting individuals' rights.
MODEL STATUTE: Fusion Centers
Our Fusion Center model legislation regulates the use of fusion centers to mitigate potential privacy risks resulting from the collection and dissemination of data among state and local law enforcement agencies and to ensure the protection of the civil rights and civil liberties of all individuals.
LAWSUIT: Farrell-smith v. oregon
Our lawsuit, Farrell-Smith v. Oregon, seeks to put an end to illegal government-sponsored surveillance by the Oregon TITAN Fusion Center, a covert domestic spying program run by the Oregon Department of Justice.
The plaintiffs are environmental, indigenous rights, and social justice advocates who peacefully (and successfully) protested a $10 billion fossil fuel pipeline and were targeted by TITAN for exercising their rights.