On The Front Lines of Homeland Security
State and local law enforcement are our first line of defense.
The first and foremost responsibility of the federal government is to provide for the common defense. This means ensuring every agent from the Secretary of Homeland Security to local law enforcement officials have the tools they need to protect the Americans they servce.
As our first line of defense, our local and state police officers need real-time information and intelligence to combat ever-evolving terror threats — from our backyards to our country’s cyber infrastructure. I have worked tirelessly to ensure they have the resources they need to effectively do their jobs.
Earlier this year, I supported legislation that removes a ban that stripped our local authorities of critical resources, which, according to Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard, would leave our “communities at risk.”
This week, I continued my efforts, supporting the following legislation to help our state and local authorities in their mission to protect our neighborhoods, state, and entire nation.
✓ The Joint Counterterrorism Awareness Workshop Series Act brings together a wide range of first responders including law enforcement, fire, emergency medical services, and public health officials to prepare for, prevent, and response to a coordinated terrorist attack.
✓ The Unifying DHS Intelligence Enterprise Act provides intelligence gathering entities with coordinated guidance for processing, analysis, production, and dissemination, helping ensure greater accuracy, efficiency, and cohesion nation-wide.
✓ The DHS Intelligence Rotational Assignment Program Act directs DHS to ensure analysts in the U.S. intelligence community have a wider range of skills and capabiilties.
✓ The Department of Homeland Security Classified Facility Inventory Act requires greater transparency and information sharing at DHS locations across the country, eliminating beuracratic roadblocks that could delay efforts to protect our communities.
✓ The Department of Homeland Security Data Framework Act develops a data framework that allows DHS agency information related to homeland security, terrorist information, weapons of mass destruction, and national intelligence to be incorporated into a central system that provides for easier intelligence sharing between DHS’ component agencies.
✓ The TRACER Act directs the Attorney General to provide state, local, and regional authorities with information regarding known and suspected terrorists and their overall threat to local communities.
✓ The Pathways to Improving Homeland Security at the Local Level Act notifies state and local law enforcement entities of opportunities for DHS training, programs, and services.
✓ The Homeland Threat Assessment Act requires DHS to carry out and submit and annual assessment of terrorist threat to the United States.
