The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently hosted an Intelligence Summit in conjunction with the International Association of Chiefs of Police and other national law enforcement organizations, a DHS press release said.
The goal was to strengthen partnerships and improve information sharing as threats to national security evolve, the release said.
"In the 20 years since 9/11, our law enforcement and homeland security community has made great progress in reshaping our information sharing environment – working together, we put policies and processes in place that help us to be safer and more secure than we were years ago," Alejandro N. Mayorkas, Homeland Security secretary, said in the release. “We are committed to building on this foundation, as we are facing a more complex, diverse, and dynamic threat landscape than ever before. The wide array of threats we face impact the safety and security of local communities of every size and location across our great country. The most effective way in which we address these challenges is through our partnerships, working together with one another.”
Ken Wainstein, DHS under secretary for Intelligence and Analysis, also spoke of the importance of partnership and cooperation.
“We are wholly committed to prioritizing close connectivity with our federal, state and local partners to enhance our information sharing initiatives and build the partnerships that are necessary to combat the threats of today and anticipate the threats of tomorrow,” he said in the release.
The summit, held in Alexandria, Va., was the "first of its kind to be held in 15 years and is a critical element of the Department of Homeland Security’s work to empower, inform, and engage law enforcement and homeland security partners in anticipating and responding to potential threats," the agency said.
