25 April 2006
U.S. Law Enforcement Promoting Data Exchange on Terrorism
"Dfuze" database helping police integrate intelligence on bombings, arsons
By David I. McKeeby
Washington File Staff Writer
Washington – Within hours of the July 2005 bombing of a London commuter train, Scotland Yard was able call upon law enforcement expertise worldwide, thanks to DFuze, a database developed by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).
“DFuze allows our foreign partners to seamlessly transfer knowledge as a case unfolds,” making the database a useful tool in the global war on terrorism, said Jim McDermond, ATF assistant director of strategic intelligence in an April 25 press briefing.
Launched in 2004, DFuze is an encrypted database available to participating law enforcement and allied government organizations to help collect, analyze and exchange information related to incidents involving explosives or arson, technical information about recovered devices, perpetrators and methods of bomb delivery, as well as response data concerning chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear devices.
DFuze provides investigators and analysts with built-in tools for imaging, secure record transmissions, high-speed data searches, multimedia intelligence management and the ability to print hard copy reports. In addition, DFuze offers a multilingual user interface with the ability to translate its data fields into Arabic, English, French, Portuguese or Spanish, allowing users to exchange information without losing it in translation.
Developed by the ATF in coordination with the International Association of Bomb Technicians and Investigators, DFuze currently is used by law enforcement agencies in 10 countries, including Colombia, Mexico, Singapore and the United Kingdom, said McDermond.
The ATF is a U.S. government agency specializing in the enforcement of federal firearms laws, investigation of crimes involving arson or explosives and efforts to combat illegal diversion of alcohol and tobacco products within the United States.
Since 1996, the bureau has served as the national repository for all information on law enforcement incidents involving arson and explosives in the United States. DFuze is an international counterpart to the bureau’s Bomb Arson Tracking System, a database with more than 37,000 incident files that is currently used by nearly 700 federal, state and local law enforcement agencies in the United States.
Internationally, the ATF currently is providing training to the Iraqi Police Service, as well as ongoing explosives and firearms training at three international law enforcement academies maintained by the U.S. State Department in Hungary, Botswana and Thailand. (See related article.)
For more information, see Response to Terrorism.
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
