Last year's terrorist attacks uncovered a deadly lack of integration
among America's domestic defenses. Several of the future hijackers were
briefly involved with police or other government agencies, which entered
their names into government data systems. At least two of the men were
sought by the FBI; the names of others were in other intelligence databases.
But because the data systems were not linked, the dots were never connected,
and the men went on their way. The chance to prevent terrorism was lost.
Although we'll never know whether better data sharing would have thwarted
the horrible attacks, we do know that terrorists often use traditional
crime, such as drug trafficking to support their objectives.
We also know that the nation's law enforcement and emergency response
systems do not function cohesively because they are largely tied to geographical
jurisdictions or exclusive functions. When police and fire departments
from Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. responded to the Pentagon
attack, they were unable to radio one another because, like most public
safety entities, each department had its own radio frequencies.
To prevent and respond to terrorism, we must change our approach to security.
First, we must redefine our concept of national security to include the
pivotal role of states and localities. In the event of new terrorist attacks,
some of the first people on the scene will be police officers, followed
by local firefighters and health-care providers. Federal help will be
hours and maybe even days away. One way or another, responsibility for
homeland defense rests with state and local governments.
Second, our approach to domestic defense must be made national and seamless.
In addition to coordinating federal agencies, the Office of Homeland Security
must set clear national priorities to guide action for states and localities.
And to help state and local governments build a seamless domestic defense,
Congress must provide block grants with accountability provisions.
Third, we must make domestic defense a top priority in the everyday work
of government, not just in emergencies. We must build on existing state
and local partnerships and information sharing, resisting the temptation
to create stand-alone agencies mobilized only in a crisis. Information
and communication technology and operational strategies used for emergencies
should also support efforts to provide delivery of services by government
agencies each day. With this infrastructure, state and local officials
will not only have the foundation for efforts to prevent and respond to
crises -- everyday government will work better, too.
We should begin institutionalizing this new approach by immediately taking
several steps. The first involves connecting the dots with the data. To
link the information from various arms of the criminal justice system
about the people who commit crime and the places where crime occurs, we
must launch "integrated justice" information systems.
Just as search engines on the Web allow instantaneous access to vast
sources of information, we must create a system in which secure facilities
(such as airports) can access resources like the terrorist "watch
list" in the National Crime Information Center at the FBI. Public
safety information and communication systems should also be interlinked
with those of other critical government systems that support transportation,
social services, and public utilities. Efforts to "connect the dots
with data" in 38 states and the District of Columbia must be accelerated
and made universal.
In addition, we must integrate emergency response communications systems.
This would enable first responders from different agencies and jurisdictions
to talk to each other. Efforts to address such deficiencies have been
energized following the events of Sept. 11. For example, Maryland launched
a project to patch disparate radio systems into an integrated network
that offers a model for others.
At the same time, we need to bolster defenses against biological and
chemical terrorist attacks. To identify and respond to both naturally
occurring disease outbreak and biological and chemical weapon attacks,
we must establish an information network linking laboratories, first responders,
health care providers, governmental agencies, and other facilities.
Now that terrorism is a clearer threat, it's all the more critical that
states be prepared to recognize an outbreak of disease, circulate information
to health-care providers, coordinate local response with federal and military
systems, and allocate scarce medical resources such as antibiotics and
vaccines.
A good first step is the Lightweight Epidemiology Advanced Detection
& Emergency Response System deployed by hospitals and state medical
offices in New York and Phoenix during the World Series. Building on this
Web-based system, medical personnel will have the ability to track outbreaks
as they are reported by hospitals, map geographic regions where outbreaks
are occurring, and determine response capabilities of various medical
facilities.
Finally, it is important to connect everyone with 211 and 311. To provide
information and services to everyone, we must establish statewide toll-free
numbers for non-emergency information and referral services for health
care and social services. At the time of the terrorist attacks and the
anthrax scare, people called a non-emergency number for information and
referral to health and social services when one was available. When a
non-emergency number wasn't available, they called 911. But relying on
911 systems is potentially catastrophic, because the system could become
inundated with non-emergency calls that clog out emergency calls. We need
to expand the use of 211 and 311 as non-emergency information numbers.
Connecticut's statewide 211 telephone system for information and referral
is a model to follow.
These innovations would be key first steps toward fully integrating America's
domestic defenses. State and local leaders should take heart that the
best way to prevent and prepare for terrorism is already available in
the techniques and technologies now strengthening communities and protecting
our neighborhoods. Building on those methods will not only improve homeland
security, it will also improve health care, policing, and other government
services.
