Homeland Security Fusion Center Programs
LO Program
The Liaison Officer (LO) program lies at the heart
of the fusion center mission.
The LO Program helps meet DHS mandated Critical Operational Capabilities (COCs) by enabling the fusion center to quickly and effectively gather and disseminate information.
LOs are the fusion center's eyes and ears in the community.
LOs relay important terrorism-related tips and leads to
analysts in the fusion center, the nationwide fusion center
network, and ultimately the federal intelligence community.
But it's not a one-way street. Federal and state partners send
intelligence reports and analyses to the fusion centers, who in
turn push them to their LOs for use with line officers.
Who are LOs and What Do They Do?
The LO is a state or local government official tasked with specific counter terrorism responsibilities. LOs are typically first responders such as police officers, fire fighters, or other public safety personnel. While some LOs work counter terrorism full time, most fit their LO responsibilities in with a primary job and carry the assignment of LO as an ancillary duty. For example, many LOs are sheriff's deputies working patrol, police detectives, or paramedics.
LOs provide many services, depending on the needs of their home departments and regional fusion center. For instance, LOs will often:
- Be a conduit for terrorism and all-hazards tips and leads from their departments to the fusion center
- Implement and enhance community policing efforts to combat radicalization into terrorism within their community
- Serve as a subject matter expert for their agency on terrorism matters
- Provide awareness of indicator and warning signs that terrorism may be present in their areas of responsibility
- Distribute bulletins and other intelligence products such as requests for information (RFI's) from the national/international intelligence community and fusion centers to officers in their departments
- Serve as the advisor for critical infrastructure/key resources (CIKR) efforts in their AOR
- Develop, enhance and maintain a "citizen liaison officer" program linking the private sector with the LO's agency through the FBI's InfraGard program
- Provide opportunities for their fellow officers to take counter terrorism training courses from the fusion center or partner organization
What Is a LO Program?
LOs cannot work in isolation. In order to be effective, they must be part of organized LO networks. A LO program is created and coordinated by a fusion center, run through (and in partnership with) public safety organizations, like police departments, sheriff's offices, and fire departments.
Why Build a LO Program?
Accurate, timely intelligence is critical in the fight against domestic and foreign-based terrorism. For any mature fusion center, sound intelligence depends on a well-designed and active LO program. Networks of trained LOs, organized and supported by state and local fusion centers, have proven track records all across the country. LO programs:
- Help ensure local threat intelligence is identified, collected, and passed to the fusion center
- Implement and enhance the national SARS initiative
- Provide conduits through which threat-related information is shared with public safety and private sector partners
- Enhancd communication between participating agencies by acting as a conduit for all-hazards/terrorism information, which, at the same time, can serve as an excellent de-confliction tool
- Build key liaison relationships among state, local, county, tribal, and private sector organizations
- Provide valuable counter terrorism training from the fusion center, FBI, US Attorney's Office, DHS, and other homeland security partners
- Provide valuable training and guidance in the delicate balance of safeguarding civil liberties with effective counter-terrorism efforts in compliance with state and federal laws, with an emphasis on 28 CFR part 23
- Provide free training and support for local target hardening efforts to ensure that the CI/KR mission is effective in their AOR