Hearing of the US Senate Judiciary Committee - Role of Information Sharing in Policing since 9/11

Statement

In committee hearing, Senator Coons points to Delaware as a role model for effective partnership with federal law enforcement

Senate Judiciary Committee hearing looks at role of information sharing in policing since 9/11, as well as federally funded programs that are helping keep Delaware's streets safer

Chairing a rare field hearing of the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary in Wilmington on Monday, Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) focused on the success Delaware's local law enforcement agencies have had with state and federal agencies in sharing intelligence to effectively improve policing and make our streets safer.

"Being a small state, Delaware's police face unique opportunities and challenges," Senator Coons said in his opening statement. "Delaware's size lends itself naturally to a closely-knit, adaptable law enforcement community. At the same time, many of our police departments are small and, as a result, lack the resources to develop specialized techniques or units that might be needed to deal with organized crime or other relatively rare crimes that have serious consequences. Meeting these challenges requires collaboration with our federal partners."

Joined at the hearing by Committee Chairman Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), the Committee heard testimony from Dover Police Chief James Hosfelt, Delaware State Police Superintendent Robert Coupe, FBI Special Agent in Charge for its Baltimore Division Richard McFeely, Department of Justice Bureau ofJustice Assistance Principal Deputy Director James Burch, and Delaware Criminal Justice Council Executive Director Drewry Fennell.

"Interagency coordination and information sharing is more important than ever," Chairman Leahy said. "We must continue to ensure that we are able to effectively piece together the information our government agencies -- Federal, state and local -- collect on terrorist and criminal threats. Ensuring adequate information sharingamong law enforcement has been one of my highest priorities as Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, and Senator Coons has become a partner in this effort. I was delighted when he approached me about holding this important hearing in Delaware, to hear from people on the front lines in this partnership about the challenges state and local law enforcement face today."

Since the terrorist attacks of 9/11, the FBI and local law enforcement agencies have made collaboration a priority. In the First State, the center of that information-sharing effort is the Delaware Information Analysis Center(DIAC), which collects and distributes relevant information about threats and hazards. Led by the Delaware State Police and staffed by four civilian employees and two analysts from the Delaware National Guard, DIAC works with the Joint Terrorism Task Force, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, Delaware National Guard, Coast Guard, Dover Air Force Base, the U.S. Attorneys Office, and the Department of Homeland Security. Similar fusion centers were established nationwide to avoid the isolation of critical data.

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