Ohio Unveils Antiterrorism Strategy Center
NTI: Ohio yesterday opened a new center to identify possible terrorist activity by linking information resources from various state agencies, the Columbus Dispatch reported (see GSN, Oct. 12, 2005).
The Ohio Strategic Analysis and Information Center was launched with $590,000 in federal funding, according to the Dispatch. It is expected to function as a nerve center for state government, allowing agencies to exchange intelligence that could uncover terrorist plots, the center’s chief said yesterday.
“A traditional information center (only) has law enforcement in it,” said Ohio Homeland Security Deputy Director Richard Rawlins. “We found after 9/11 that we need to do a lot better.”
Several states — including Texas, Massachusetts and Indiana — have opened such centers in the past year, according to the Dispatch. Some critics have suggested the centers are aimed at collecting federal grant money rather than stopping terrorists.
“I think they’ll have to come in and make their case for what kind of benefits it will have,” said Republican state Senator Jeff Jacobson. “We always want to make sure we’re getting good value for any kind of expenditure.”
Some experts have said the centers’ effectiveness remains to be proven.
“These are works in progress,” said Bob Pence, a retired FBI agent and counterterrorism consultant. “No one has gotten far enough along to say it’s been an outstanding success or a failure. There are going to be some painful steps along the way, and there’s going to be some waste” (James Nash, Columbus Dispatch, Jan. 24).
The Ohio Strategic Analysis and Information Center was launched with $590,000 in federal funding, according to the Dispatch. It is expected to function as a nerve center for state government, allowing agencies to exchange intelligence that could uncover terrorist plots, the center’s chief said yesterday.
“A traditional information center (only) has law enforcement in it,” said Ohio Homeland Security Deputy Director Richard Rawlins. “We found after 9/11 that we need to do a lot better.”
Several states — including Texas, Massachusetts and Indiana — have opened such centers in the past year, according to the Dispatch. Some critics have suggested the centers are aimed at collecting federal grant money rather than stopping terrorists.
“I think they’ll have to come in and make their case for what kind of benefits it will have,” said Republican state Senator Jeff Jacobson. “We always want to make sure we’re getting good value for any kind of expenditure.”
Some experts have said the centers’ effectiveness remains to be proven.
“These are works in progress,” said Bob Pence, a retired FBI agent and counterterrorism consultant. “No one has gotten far enough along to say it’s been an outstanding success or a failure. There are going to be some painful steps along the way, and there’s going to be some waste” (James Nash, Columbus Dispatch, Jan. 24).
posted by Marko at 1/25/2006 08:52:00 PM
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