ON THE SOUTHWEST BORDER

ON THE SOUTHWEST BORDER
The Importance of Intelligence

09/29/10

It’s just before 9:30 a.m., and people are gathering in a large operations room at the El Paso Intelligence Center (EPIC) for the daily morning briefing. Soon, eyes are drawn to the maps and monitors around the room as representatives from a variety of federal and state agencies provide their most current information on crime and law enforcement activities along the Southwest border.

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EPIC provides 24/7 tactical intelligence to law enforcement around the world through watch operations, analytical support, and access to a variety of state and federal databases. Led by the Drug Enforcement Administration, it is also the nerve center for intelligence efforts on the Southwest border—and home base for the FBI’s Southwest Intelligence Group (SWIG).

Pedestrian crossing gate

About This Series

FBI.gov recently visited the Southwest border region for a firsthand look at what the Bureau and its law enforcement partners are doing there to combat crime.

Part I: Border Crime | Gallery | Video
Part II: Public Corruption | Video
Part III: Violence Too Close to Home
Part IV: Forging Ties in Tijuana | Video
Part V: A Drug Buy in El Paso
Part VI: Going After the Major Players
Part VII: The Gang Threat

Video: Our Role on Border
Graphic: By the Numbers
“EPIC is a valuable asset in the fight against the cartels,” said Kevin Perkins, assistant director of our Criminal Investigative Division. That’s because the timely collection and sharing of intelligence is critical to stemming the flow of illegal drugs across the border into the United States. EPIC’s multi-agency approach ensures that federal, state, and local law enforcement have access to real-time intelligence.

About 300 agents, analysts, computer experts, translators, administrators, and support staff from 15 federal agencies work around the clock at EPIC to piece together raw intelligence from a variety of law enforcement databases into actionable intelligence that could lead to arrests, seizures, and the disruption of drug trafficking.

The Bureau maintains a staff of about a dozen agents and analysts at EPIC who contribute investigative and analytic resources. They also manage the SWIG, which provides additional intelligence to our key Southwest offices.

“The SWIG was created in 2009 in response to Southwest border office requests to better coordinate the intelligence that was out there,” said Keith Slotter, special agent in charge of our San Diego Field Office. “One of the issues we had in those offices was a lack of knowledge and sharing of information. It wasn't intentional—we just didn't have a good mechanism to do it.”

While Slotter was familiar with the issues his office was facing in San Diego, he often had less of an understanding of the issues faced in El Paso or Phoenix, for example. The SWIG was established to remedy this intelligence gap and to provide a big-picture look at the Southwest border.

“Now we get daily reports of raw intelligence coming from a variety of different sources,” Slotter said. “Every day I and many other people in San Diego and other divisions—several hundred people—get a two- or three-page summary of the day's events and what's going on. So I know what happened in Juarez today,” he added, “and what happened in Nogales and in other areas of interest so that we can draw some connectivity to what goes on here.”

EPIC and the SWIG provide the Bureau with a continually updated intelligence snapshot along the entire Southwest border. This is crucial because the border is the principal arrival zone for most of the illicit drugs smuggled into the country, as well as the main staging area for the subsequent distribution of drugs throughout the U.S.

“If we are going to be able to disrupt and dismantle the drug trafficking organizations,” Perkins said, “we need excellent intelligence gathering and sharing operations. EPIC and the SWIG give us these key capabilities.”

TENTANG PERBATASAN Baratdaya
Pentingnya Intelijen

09/29/10

Hanya saja sebelum 09:30, dan orang-orang berkumpul di ruang operasi besar di El Paso Intelligence Center (EPIC) untuk briefing pagi setiap hari. Segera, mata tertarik pada peta dan monitor di sekitar ruangan sebagai wakil dari berbagai lembaga federal dan negara mereka memberikan informasi terkini tentang kejahatan dan kegiatan penegakan hukum di sepanjang perbatasan Southwest.

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EPIC menyediakan 24 / 7 intelijen taktis untuk penegakan hukum di seluruh dunia melalui operasi menonton, dukungan analisis, dan akses ke berbagai database negara bagian dan federal. Dipimpin oleh Drug Enforcement Administration, juga merupakan pusat saraf bagi upaya intelijen pada dasar-perbatasan dan rumah Southwest untuk FBI Southwest Intelligence Group (SWIG).

Gerbang tempat penyeberangan pejalan kaki

Tentang Seri ini

FBI.gov baru-baru ini mengunjungi wilayah Southwest perbatasan untuk melihat secara langsung apa Biro dan perusahaan mitra penegakan hukum lakukan di sana untuk memerangi kejahatan.

Bagian I: Perbatasan Kejahatan | Galeri | Video
Bagian II: Korupsi Masyarakat | Video
Bagian III: Kekerasan Terlalu Dekat ke Home
Bagian IV: Dasi Tempa di Tijuana | Video
Bagian V: Obat A Beli di El Paso
Bagian VI: Pergi Setelah Pemain Utama
Bagian VII: Ancaman Gang

Video: Peran kami di Perbatasan
Grafis: Dengan Angka
"EPIC merupakan aset yang berharga dalam perang melawan kartel," kata Kevin Perkins, asisten direktur kami Divisi Investigasi Kriminal. Itu karena koleksi tepat waktu dan berbagi intelijen sangat penting untuk membendung aliran obat terlarang melintasi perbatasan ke Amerika Serikat. multi-lembaga pendekatan EPIC's memastikan bahwa federal, negara bagian, dan penegakan hukum setempat memiliki akses ke intelijen real-time.

Sekitar 300 agen, analis, ahli komputer, penerjemah, administrator, dan staf pendukung dari 15 agen-agen federal bekerja di sekitar jam di EPIC untuk sepotong intelijen bersama-sama baku dari berbagai database penegakan hukum ke intelijen yang dapat menyebabkan penangkapan, kejang, dan gangguan dari perdagangan narkoba.

Biro mempertahankan staf sekitar selusin agen dan analis di EPIC yang memberikan kontribusi sumber daya investigasi dan analitik. Mereka juga mengelola SWIG, yang menyediakan kecerdasan tambahan ke kantor utama kami Southwest.

"The SWIG diciptakan pada tahun 2009 sebagai tanggapan atas permintaan kantor Southwest perbatasan dapat lebih baik mengkoordinir intelijen yang ada di luar sana," kata Keith Slotter, agen khusus yang bertanggung jawab atas kita San Diego Field Office. "Salah satu isu yang kami miliki di kantor-kantor tersebut adalah kurangnya pengetahuan dan berbagi informasi. Itu tidak disengaja-kami hanya tidak memiliki mekanisme yang baik untuk melakukannya. "

Sementara Slotter akrab dengan isu-isu kantornya dihadapkan di San Diego, ia sering kurang pemahaman tentang isu-isu yang dihadapi di El Paso atau Phoenix, misalnya. Ini SWIG didirikan untuk memperbaiki celah ini intelijen dan untuk memberikan gambaran besar terlihat di perbatasan Southwest.

"Sekarang kita mendapatkan laporan harian intelijen mentah yang berasal dari berbagai sumber yang berbeda," kata Slotter. "Setiap hari saya dan banyak orang lain di San Diego dan lain divisi-beberapa ratus orang-get ringkasan dua atau tiga halaman dari acara hari itu dan apa yang terjadi. Jadi saya tahu apa yang terjadi di Juarez hari ini, "ia menambahkan," dan apa yang terjadi di Nogales dan di daerah lain bunga sehingga kita dapat menarik beberapa konektivitas untuk apa yang terjadi di sini. "

EPIC dan SWIG menyediakan Biro dengan snapshot intelijen terus-menerus diperbarui sepanjang perbatasan seluruh Southwest. Hal ini penting karena perbatasan zona kedatangan utama bagi sebagian besar narkoba diselundupkan ke negara itu, serta pementasan kawasan utama untuk distribusi obat berikutnya di seluruh Amerika Serikat

"Jika kita akan mampu mengganggu dan membongkar organisasi perdagangan narkoba," kata Perkins, "kita perlu pengumpulan intelijen dan operasi yang sangat baik berbagi. EPIC dan SWIG memberi kita kemampuan ini kunci. "

Imajinasi bagi pengetahuan Border Indonesia khususnya Kalimantan Barat yang telah dan akan membuka Border di perbatasan Kalimantan Barat dengan Malaysia.