Federal official: fusion centers are collecting intelligence, but not violating rights

By Brian Ballou, Globe Staff

In response to concerns raised by the American Civil Liberties Union, the undersecretary of the Department of Homeland Security said today that he knows of no case of civil rights violations by authorities working in the dozens of fusion centers across America.

The centers are staffed by federal, state, and local law enforcement officials, with a primary function of gathering intelligence to combat domestic and international terrorism.

"I know of no single issue of any fusion center doing anything to abuse the rights of any individual,'' said Undersecretary Charles Allen, during an interview after his keynote speech to about 600 law enforcement officials, gathered at the Park Plaza Hotel for the Law Enforcement Intelligence Analysts and Law Enforcement Intelligence Unit Annual Training Seminar.

There are 56 high-tech Fusion Centers across the country, including the Massachusetts center in Maynard. The centers grew out of the nation's response to the 9/11 attacks and the 9/11 Commission report, which exposed a lack of information sharing between federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.

The centers have come under scrutiny from the American Civil Liberties Union, which has lobbied to have some form of public oversight of the centers.

The training seminar will continue through Friday, with officials from across the United States and representatives of law enforcement agencies from other countries, such as South Africa, Canada, and Mexico. Training sessions will be held on drug trafficking, domestic and international terrorism, immigration, and "Legal Issues and Privacy in Criminal Intelligence.''

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