Alerts, Warnings, and Notifications

Terrorist-related Alerts, Warnings and Notifications are produced by agencies at all levels of government and serve a variety of mission and organizational needs. There is no common form for writing an Alert, Warning or Notification, dissemination protocols vary, and methods and mechanisms for dissemination occur through a wide array of distribution channels. Because of its complexity and the number of agencies involved, there has been limited progress in addressing the need for a broader, better integrated system of Alerts, Warnings, and Notifications. The PM-ISE, in coordination with Mission Partners, is reviewing existing processes and developing alternative approaches for enhancing the Alerts, Warnings, and Notifications process. It is expected that Alerts, Warnings, and Notifications will be a major focus area for the ISE over the next year.
Currently, there are some processes in place to facilitate the sharing of Alerts, Warnings, and Notifications with state, local, and tribal partners. For example, one of the principle responsibilities of the Interagency Threat Assessment and Coordination Group is to tailor Alerts, Warnings, and Notifications to the special needs of state, local, and tribal agencies, and prepare the information for Roll Call Releases. To cite another example, an alert capability exists within eGuardian that was successfully used to warn law enforcement agencies of a threatened "Columbine-style" attack in September 2009. Visit the Interagency Threat Assessment and Coordination Group (ITACG) page for more information.