Three Essays on Law Enforcement and Emergency Response Information Sharing and Collaboration: An Insider Perspective

This dissertation identifies what may be done to overcome barriers to information sharing among federal, tribal, state, and local law enforcement agencies and emergency responders. Social, technical, and policy factors related to information sharing and collaboration in the law enforcement and emergency response communities are examined. This research improves information sharing and cooperation in this area. Policing in most societies exists in a state of dynamic tension between forces that tend to isolate it and those that tend to integrate its functioning with other social structures (Clark, 1965). Critical incidents and crimes today cross jurisdictions and involve multiple stakeholders and levels. Law enforcement and emergency response agencies at federal, tribal, state, and local levels, including private sector entities, gather information and resources but do not effectively share this with each other. Despite mandates to improve information sharing and cooperation, gaps remain perhaps because there is no clear understanding of what the barriers to information sharing are. Information sharing is examined using a multi-method, primarily qualitative, approach. A model for information sharing is presented that identifies social, technical, and policy factors as influencers. Facets of General Systems Theory, Socio-technical Theory, and Stakeholder Theory (among others) are considered in this context. Information sharing is the subject of the first work of the dissertation: a theoretical piece arguing for use of a conceptual framework consisting of social, technical, and policy factors. Social, technology, and policy factors are investigated in the second essay. That essay introduces a new transformative technology, edgeware, that allows for unprecedented connectivity among devices. Social and policy implications for crisis response are examined in light of having technological barriers to sharing resources reduced. Human and other factors relevant to information sharing and collaboration are further examined through a case study of the Central New York Interoperable Communications Consortium (CNYICC) Network, a five-county collaboration involving law enforcement, public safety, government, and non-government participants. The three included essays have a common focus vis-à-vis information sharing and collaboration in law enforcement and emergency response. The propositions here include: (P1) Information sharing is affected by social, technical, and policy factors, and this conceptualization frames the problem of information sharing in a way that it can be commonly understood by government and non-government stakeholders. The next proposition involves the role of technology, policy, and social systems in information sharing: (P2) Social and policy factors influence information sharing more than technical factors (assuming it is physically possible to connect and/or share). A third proposition investigated is: (P3) Social factors play the greatest role in the creation and sustaining of information sharing relationships. The findings provide a greater understanding of the forces that impact public safety agencies as they consider information sharing and will, it is hoped, lead to identifiable solutions to the problem from a new perspective

A Classification of Agents and Entities Influencing Law Enforcement Agencies in the United States

This work introduces a typology for classifying the entities and groups that influence law enforcement agencies in the United States. The purpose here is to begin the process of creating a more formal taxonomy to better understand the types of influences that bear upon law enforcement agencies. Through that work we will better understand policy and decision making in this distinct arena and improve law enforcement operations. Using a soft systems approach this initial work involved a broad search of entities that may influence law enforcement agencies. The search involved extensive internet keyword searches, reviews of paper publications and field observation. In consultation with other researchers the list was reviewed and analyzed for classification. Seven distinctive categories were identified; Law Enforcement, Government, Quasi-Government, Associations, Vendors, Media and People. The resulting typology may be used as a basis for further research in the area of law enforcement organizational behavior, policy development and program implementation. This work will lead to a more formal taxonomy for understanding these relationships

Feasibility Discussion on Identifying Possibility for a National Behavioral Anomaly Detection Platform

The purpose of this panel is to identify and discuss high-level parameters and social issues regarding the implementation of a national behavioral anomaly detection platform. This platform would provide a ???statistical firewall??? to protect the rights of individual privacy, while also supporting the government???s obligation to protect the populace. We plan to initiate discussion of investigating the development of a framework to identify potentially incidences of malicious behavior, patterns or activity across a wide variety of industries through an automated analysis of data anomalies from multiple data sources. The result of this panel discussion would be an evaluation of feasibility, of standardized inputs, further definition on the framework and engine, and the identification of the legal and social issues attending such a capability

Technical, Social & Legal Barriers to Effective Information Sharing Among Sensitive Organizations

While millions of dollars have been invested in information technologies to improve intelligence information sharing among law enforcement agencies at the Federal, Tribal, State and Local levels, there remains a hesitation to share information between agencies. This lack of coordination hinders the ability to prevent and respond to crime and terrorism. Work to date has not produced solutions nor widely accepted paradigms for understanding the problem. Therefore, to enhance the current intelligence information sharing services between government entities, we have identified three major problem areas; Technical, Social, and Legal. Furthermore, we have developed a preliminary model and theory of intelligence information sharing through a literature review, experience and interviews with practitioners in the field. This model and theory should serve as a basic conceptual framework for further academic work and lead to further investigation and clarification of the identified factors and the degree of impact they exert on the system so that actionable solutions can be identified and implemented