History
The Commonwealth Fusion Center was established in October of 2004 and designated as the principal center for information collection and dissemination pursuant to Executive Order No. 476.
Structure
The Commonwealth Fusion Center is a program within the Massachusetts State Police Division of Homeland Security and Preparedness (DHS) Criminal Information and Intelligence Section (CIIS). The Commonwealth Fusion Center is comprised of the Anti-Terrorism Unit (ATU), the Commonwealth Watch Center (CWC), the Criminal Information Section (CIS), and the Intelligence Services Unit (ISU).
Anti-Terrorism Unit (ATU)
The Anti-Terrorism Unit (ATU) is a statewide investigative unit that investigates individuals suspected of violating federal and state statutes related to domestic and international terrorism. State Police ATU members are jointly assigned through a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to the Boston Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF). All members are deputized as Special Duty U.S. Marshals with the authority to investigate U.S. Code Title 28 violations further defined as "The unlawful use of force and violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives."
The Massachusetts State Police Hate Crimes Awareness and Response Team (HART) is a subcomponent of the ATU. HART personnel conduct training, education, community outreach, consultation, and investigative assistance regarding hate crimes.
Commonwealth Watch Center (CWC)
The Commonwealth Watch Center (CWC) is the 24/7 component of the Commonwealth Fusion Center and is a real-time operations center with a mission to enhance the situational awareness of the Massachusetts State Police and other public safety agencies across the Commonwealth. CWC personnel assess events in real time and communicate current information affecting public safety to various stakeholders.
In addition to maintaining situational awareness, the CWC handles requests for information from local, state, and federal partners and vets all Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs). If a SAR meets the criteria established by the ISE-SAR Functional Standard, CWC personnel forward the SAR to the FBI via the eGuardian system. The Massachusetts State Police Unit Commander of the CWC serves as the Interpol Liaison for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Criminal Information Section (CIS)
The Criminal Information Section (CIS) is responsible for activities associated with the protection of critical infrastructure from cyber and physical threats, drug enforcement, and information sharing with federal, state, local, and private sector partners. Members within CIS are assigned to the New England HIDTA Investigative Support Center (ISC), MaCrimeNet, the Massachusetts Cybersecurity Program (MCP), and the Commonwealth Critical Infrastructure Program (CCIP).
Intelligence Services Unit (ISU)
The Intelligence Services Unit (ISU) provides a cadre of professional intelligence analysts and support staff who serve the intelligence needs of the Massachusetts State Police, the CFC, and the Commonwealth by gathering, analyzing, and sharing intelligence.
ISU analysts produce and disseminate products including:
- Homeland security bulletins
- Critical infrastructure alerts
- Cybersecurity situational awareness bulletins
- Strategic intelligence products
- Intelligence and informational briefings
- Threat assessments
- Special event assessments
ISU analysts also provide analytic support to complex criminal investigations. The ISU is managed by the State Police Intelligence Services Manager, who is the Deputy Director of the CFC.
Capabilities
Fusion Centers have 4 critical operational capabilities and 4 enabling capabilities as defined by the Baseline Capabilities for State and Major Urban Area Fusion Centers (published 2008, revised 2010) and State and Major Urban Area Fusion Centers Fact Sheet.
Critical Operational Capabilities:
- Receive
- Analyze
- Disseminate
- Gather
Enabling Capabilities:
- Privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties (CFC-02 Commonwealth Fusion Center Privacy, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties Policy)
- Sustainment strategy
- Communications and outreach
- Security
As the state repository for homeland security, criminal information, and incident reporting, the Commonwealth Fusion Center serves as a point of contact for local stakeholders seeking to receive information from or share information with federal agencies. The Commonwealth Fusion Center also collects and analyzes information to produce and disseminate actionable intelligence to support decision makers and operational personnel.
Programs
Commonwealth Critical Infrastructure Program (CCIP)
CCIP
The Commonwealth Critical Infrastructure Program (CCIP) was created in 2005 to implement a statewide, coordinated approach to the identification
and protection of critical infrastructure in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The CCIP creates and disseminates critical infrastructure related intelligence products to public and private sector contacts.
The CCIP also participates in the Commonwealth's Threats and Hazards Identification Risk Assessment (THIRA) process, conducts critical infrastructure risk assessments, and oversees the annual DHS data call related to the hundreds of special events that occur each year throughout the Commonwealth. A member of CCIP serves as the Protected Critical Infrastructure Information (PCII) Coordinator for the Commonwealth.
Massachusetts Cybersecurity Program (MCP)
The Massachusetts Cybersecurity Program (MCP) was established in response to growing threats to cybersecurity in the Commonwealth. The MCP conducts threat reporting, training, education, and awareness related to cybersecurity. The MCP routinely distributes cybersecurity intelligence products, situational awareness messages, and other cyber-intelligence information to stakeholders.
The MCP works closely with federal, state, local, and private sector agencies to establish effective communication and relationships. The MCP Vulnerability and Threat Intelligence Project (VTIP) identifies municipalities and critical infrastructure sector partners that have cybersecurity vulnerabilities and reports the vulnerabilities to the affected entity.
The MCP provides threat response and intelligence support to the Massachusetts Cyber Incident Response Team (MA-CIRT) and routinely exchanges information related to cybersecurity threats and incidents with the Executive Office of Technology Services and Security Security Operations Center (EOTSS SOC).
MaCrimeNet
MaCrimeNet is an information sharing initiative that receives and distributes bulletins to federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies on a regional basis. MaCrimeNet bulletins seek to identify suspects, notify law enforcement of ongoing criminal trends, and ultimately assist in the prevention and prosecution of criminal enterprises.
New England HIDTA Investigative Support Center (ISC)
The New England HIDTA Investigative Support Center (ISC) proactively collects, evaluates, collates, analyzes, and disseminates detailed and relevant all-source information concerning drug trafficking and money laundering organizations impacting New England and other areas of the country.
The HIDTA ISC serves as the designated intelligence center for the New England Domestic Highway Enforcement (DHE) Program. The New England HIDTA ISC also offers deconfliction services to New England law enforcement to enhance officer safety and minimize investigative conflicts between agencies.
The New England HIDTA ISC is co-managed by the Massachusetts State Police and Federal Bureau of Investigation and staffed by personnel from the Commonwealth Fusion Center, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Massachusetts National Guard Counterdrug Program, and contract employees of HIDTA.
See Something, Say Something Program
The Commonwealth Fusion Center is Massachusetts' coordination center for the See Something, Say Something Program. To report suspicious activity, call 9-1-1. To access campaign outreach materials that DHS has developed for your state, local, tribal, territorial, and private sector entities and organizations, the campaign offers this package of pre-developed materials.