NCJ Number
216332
Journal
Law Enforcement Technology Volume: 33 Issue: 10 Dated: October 2006 Pages: 110,112,117
Date Published
October 2006
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This article describes the work of the Terrorist Screening Center (TSC), located in Washington, DC, which acts as America's central hub for information on terrorists' identities obtained from a variety of sources at the Federal, State, and local levels.
Abstract
On September 16, 2003, President George W. Bush issued Homeland Security Presidential Directive-6, which established the TSC as a multiagency organization with three primary goals: to consolidate the various terrorist watch lists, to create a consistent approach to screening, and to share watch-list names with foreign governments. The watch list changes daily as names are added, modified, and deleted. The individuals on the watch list are divided into four risk categories linked with recommended responses, such as arrest immediately, detain for questioning, get a positive identification, ask probing questions at the site of the stop, or call the TSC for advice. Regarding uniform procedures for screening individuals for terrorist activity or affiliations, the TSC has connected Federal, State, local, and tribal officials with the Federal Government's information on terrorists and those affiliated with terrorist groups. The TSC's global outreach includes negotiating with foreign governments to develop networks for sharing information related to terrorists and their activities in various parts of the world. The personnel of the TSC include representatives from a variety of agencies involved in counterterrorism efforts. This provides a wide range of expertise that facilitates interaction with the multiple agencies that provide input to and receive output from the TSC.