GAO: Federal, local agencies do not effectively share terrorism intelligence

Almost two years after terrorists attacked the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, a broad spectrum of U.S. security officials said that information on terrorist threats is still not being shared effectively, according to a General Accounting Office survey.

"No level of government perceived the process as effective, particularly when sharing information with federal agencies. Information on threats, methods and techniques of terrorists is not routinely shared; and the information that is shared is not perceived as timely, accurate or relevant," the report says.

The survey reveals that officials at all levels were dissatisfied with the amount of intelligence they are receiving. Almost every city surveyed said that they needed information on the movement of known terrorists, but only 15 percent of respondents said that they received this intelligence.

A congressional report issued in July criticized intelligence efforts prior to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, including interagency cooperation and information sharing. The Homeland Security Department has also been criticized for its color-coded terrorism alert program. Local officials have said that the alert system does not provide any detailed information to organize effective antiterrorist measures.

The GAO said, however, that the department is working on several initiatives to enhance information sharing. In a July response to the GAO, a senior homeland security official agreed that keeping state and local agencies informed is a "priority."

"Not surprisingly, however, after just five months in operation, the department is still formulating internal and external interfaces and protocols on many aspects of the complex issue of information sharing," wrote Homeland Security Deputy Secretary Gordon England.

According to England, federal officials are in the process of "providing secure telephones to the governors and security clearances to the homeland security advisors in every state."

In the absence of an effective, national information system, some states and agencies are developing their own ad hoc solutions, according to the report. California, for example, has established its own statewide antiterrorist information center to disseminate intelligence to local authorities.