Statement from U.S. Department of Homeland Security Press Secretary Sara Kuban on Secretary Napolitano’s Address to the National Fusion Conference

Release Date: March 6, 2009

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
Contact: 202-282-8010

Secretary Napolitano will travel to Missouri on Wednesday, March 11 to address the third annual National Fusion Center Conference in Kansas City. She will also get a tour of the Missouri Emergency Operations and Fusion centers and will hold a media availability with Governor Jay Nixon.

Secretary Napolitano is committed to ensuring that all entities - federal, state, local, and tribal - are coordinating and communicating effectively. The DHS State, Local, and Regional Fusion Center Initiative, which facilitates appropriate information sharing and provides intelligence analysts, technical support, funding and training, will help fusion centers succeed in that mission.

The visit will provide the Secretary with her first opportunity to visit a fusion center since being sworn in, and the chance to speak to about 1,000 fusion center leaders from around the country attending the conference.

The DHS Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties and the DHS Privacy Office have been at the forefront of providing training to fusion centers, participating in the information flow, and helping craft the policies and procedures for federal support to fusion centers. Both CRCL and Privacy Offices will be participating and presenting at the conference. The Department of Homeland Security directed more than $256 million in funding during fiscal years 2004 to 2007 to states and major urban areas to help fund information sharing and fusion centers.

Details Of Secretary Napolitano's Visit To Missouri

10:15 AM CDT	Tour of the Missouri Emergency Operations Center 2302 Militia Drive Jefferson City, MO OPEN FOR B-ROLL ONLY
10:45 AM CDT	Tour Missouri Fusion Center 2302 Militia Drive Jefferson City, MO OPEN FOR B-ROLL ONLY
11:15 AM CDT	Media Availability with Governor Nixon 2302 Militia Drive Jefferson City, MO OPEN PRESS
3:00 PM CDT	Address To National Fusion Center Conference Kansas City Marriot – Downtown 200 West 12th Street OPEN PRESS

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This page was last reviewed/modified on March 6, 2009.