State Fusion Centers as a Tool to Counter Human Trafficking: Action and Opportunity

• In Event: Anti-Trafficking Policy and Response

Abstract

State Fusion Centers were established under the auspices of the US Department of Homeland Security - but are run and staffed largely by states and localities - chiefly to facilitate vertical and horizontal intelligence sharing in support of counterterrorism efforts and stakeholders. The mission of Fusion Centers has in many cases broadened to be all-threat, all-hazards, or all-crimes in scope. There are more than 70 such Centers forming a National Network, and among a range of issues, the annual reports on Fusion Centers show an increasing role in the countering of human trafficking as a Center mission. The Fusion Center network seems a natural and unique complement to the growing but uneven set of entities focused on human trafficking. By engaging Fusion Center staff, tracking media coverage, and looking at legal action, this paper examines the attention and tools the Centers apply to disrupting human trafficking. Outcomes and lessons learned will be offered, with an eye toward enhanced operations within and between the Fusion Centers as well as between Fusion Centers and other entities. Ultimately, this research will identify opportunities to improve intelligence and law enforcement practices pertaining to human trafficking, helping lower the overall number of trafficking victims.

Authors

• Brian Nussbaum, University at Albany, SUNY

• Anna E. Kosloski, University of Colorado Colorado Springs

• Michael Landon-Murray, University of Colorado Colorado Springs