Summary: The Joint Terrorism Task Forces

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Lowenthal describes the Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTTF) as a means of improving liaison between federal and local law enforcement agencies. They are also being primarily staffed by state law enforcement personnel. Lowenthal also seems to question their value, as he states that they have yet to prove their abilities to provide the desired level of integration and liaison (Lowenthal, 2012, p. 248). By stark contrast, the FBI describes JTTFs as a one-stop shop for information regarding terrorist activities. Their primary purpose is to support shared intelligence across multiple agencies and to create a familiarity amongst investigators and managers prior to a crisis occurring. Most importantly, they allow for the pooling and consolidation of talents, skills, and knowledge from across a multitude of local, state, and federal law enforcement and intelligence communities into a single team that can respond together. According to the FBI, the JFFFs now include over 4,000 members nationwide based in over 104 cities. These consist of over 500 different state and local agencies and 55 federal agencies to include the Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. military, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and many more.