NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Since opening five years ago, the Tennessee Fusion Center has become the state's centralized database for criminal information and records that aids analysts in discerning patterns in criminal activity throughout the state.
Fusion centers like the one in Tennessee were created after 9/11 to address gaps in communication about potential criminal and terrorist activity between law enforcement agencies on the local, state and national level.
Agents who oversee the center say the information they gather is leading to the prosecution of criminal gangs, the recovery of abducted and missing children and increased awareness of human trafficking in Tennessee.
Steve Hewitt, the center's co-director under the Tennessee Office of Homeland Security, said the center can share some information with emergency responders and private sector groups to improve public safety in Tennessee.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
