Agency or Department Name Here (for pda/handhelds)

Accomplishments for Core Goal #2 Intelligence/Information Sharing

Intelligence and Information Sharing
Consistent with the foundation of Governor O’Malley’s homeland security policy, that the homeland security mission must be integrated into the daily operations of departments and agencies, intelligence and information sharing at the state fusion center has been shifted from “terrorism only” to “all crimes.”  Following are key projects and accomplishments: 

• Deployed 371 License Plate Readers (LPR) to 60 state and local police departments throughout Maryland, including more than 60 fixed LPR cameras that monitor key critical infrastructure facilities and major transportation routes. In 2012, Maryland state agencies completed installation of an additional 12 fixed LPRs at key transportation routes; together these units scanned more than 2.6 million vehicle license plates in October 2012. License Plate Readers provide law enforcement agencies with real-time information on wanted or missing persons, stolen vehicles, and other criminal or terrorist-related intelligence.
  

• More than 70 percent (262) of Maryland’s LPRs are connected to a central database to form a shared data network for criminal and counter-terrorist investigations. In 2012, this database collected more than 85 million license plate records. Criminal intelligence analysts at the Maryland Coordination and Analysis Center (MCAC), the State’s intelligence fusion center, use this data set to assist state and local law enforcement agencies in identifying suspects and closing criminal investigations. In 2013, local law enforcement agencies will have direct access to this database through the State’s Criminal Justice Dashboard. All law enforcement personnel searching LPR records through the dashboard will follow the MCAC’s privacy policy that guards against improper use or infringes upon individuals’ privacy or civil rights.

• Created a “hub and spoke” model with three Regional Information Centers to feed information from local law enforcement agencies to the State’s intelligence fusion center. In 2007, the MCAC broadened its focus from “terrorism only” to “all crimes” to better assist local law enforcement and protect Maryland residents. In 2008, the MCAC created three Regional Information Centers (RICs) on the Eastern Shore, Western, and Southern Maryland regions to provide a closer working relationship with local law enforcement and focus on regional and local public safety issues and concerns.
  

• Beginning in 2008, the MCAC has doubled and maintained the number of personnel at Maryland’s intelligence fusion center, with 27 different state, local, and federal agencies now represented. Since 2008, the MCAC has had approximately 80 law enforcement officers and analysts from 27 state, local, and federal agencies on-site, including 11 analysts from the Maryland State Police Homeland Security and Intelligence Division. This level of law enforcement agency representation makes the MCAC one of the largest and most diverse intelligence fusion centers in the nation.

• Connected 56 Maryland law enforcement agencies – including those in the State’s largest cities and counties – to a shared police records database called LINX. This system provides law enforcement officers and investigators with access to millions of valuable police records from law enforcement agencies throughout Maryland, the National Capital Region, and major population centers across the nation.

• Producing a Daily Shooting Report on statewide homicides and shootings for law enforcement leadership throughout the State. This report includes incident narratives and updates, victim and suspect intelligence, and total YTD figures for homicides, female and juvenile victims, total shooting victims, and aggravated assault victims.

• Launched an upgraded web site that now includes a Maryland “Top 10 Most Wanted” list and, where available, a “Top 10 Most Wanted” list by jurisdiction. The website includes updated alert content and tips for the private sector, but additional improvements are planned, including creating a web-based form for businesses and the public to report more detailed and standardized information on suspicious activities.