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The Pros And Cons Of Inter-Agency Cooperation

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I remember prior to 911 just how insulated the FBI was and its institutional reluctance to disseminate information to outside agencies. Even more so, was the internal separation between the FBI's criminal branches and its terrorism branches. It wasn't just because of institutional values, it was, in some cases, a matter of law. To me, this couldn't be more apparent than with my organizations tenuous relationship with the CIA. Again, there were statutory prohibitions, as well as, insular perceptions which prevented some inter-agency cooperation. Some of these prohibitions can be attributed to historical context, specifically the radical misuse of our government's investigative assets during the sixties to target civil rights groups and …show more content…

System processes which allow for the ability of disparate organizations to work together and share intelligence provide synergy and bring a wealth of diversified experiences. The FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) serves as such an example. The JTTF is comprised of law enforcement officers, analysts and specialist from local, state and federal agencies nationwide collectively working together and sharing intelligence for the purpose of disrupting and dismantling terrorist organizations and lone wolf attacks (FBI, n.d.) Mutual cooperative efforts not only benefit the organizations involved but serves a much broader purpose towards the health and safety of the community. I would submit that in the case of the Aviation Transportation System, inter-agency cooperation is not limited to just public safety but in fact covers all facets of the enterprise. Such cooperation will only make the enterprise better and more effective. The Plan's successfully marshaling of assets provides a uniqueness which cannot be mastered if handled separately. I think the overarching plan which includes the bundling of subcomponent plans makes it unique because it delivers a compressive policy which supports a vast infrastructure. Not only must the plan utilize security assets for the protection of life, property and infrastructure but must also incorporate measures for daily operations and to maintain quality control. For a large entity to work, its components must fit together and work in harmony. That's tough in a bureaucracy, but problems can be mitigated by understanding objectives and instituting carefully formulated policy. This allow its members to understand roles, responsibilities and

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