An Ambitious Approach to Information Sharing

In the midst of two major wars and international counterterrorism operations, it may be difficult to recall that the September 11, 2001, attacks had roots not only in Afghanistan but also in Florida and Minnesota. That is a point stressed by developers of the Nationwide Suspicious Activity Reporting (SAR) Initiative, or the NSI.Policymakers have spent the last few years shaping the NSI. In December 2008, the PM-ISE released the first version of the NSI’s concept of operations. Begun by the Office of the Program Manager for the Information Sharing Environment (PM-ISE)—which was created by the 2004 Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act (IRTPA)—the NSI is a partnership that allows federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement officials to share information on terrorism-related criminal activity. The logic behind the initiative is that terrorism threats to the homeland require the preventive efforts of law enforcement and national security officials across all levels of government.