Firefighters, law enforcement and other public safety professionals were the first to respond to the tragic scenes in New York and Washington, D.C., on Sept. 11, 2001, and many of them gave their lives while trying to rescue others.
Ten years later, public safety remains the highest priority of first responders in Stanislaus County. We must ensure that they are prepared to respond to this type of threat in the future and that they have access to up-to-date training and real- time information on emerging terrorism threats whenever possible.
Such a resource exists here in our region. The Central California Intelligence Center is one of the five State and Regional Terrorism Threat Assessment Centers in California.
Commonly known as Fusion Centers, they were created in response to the Sept. 11 attacks. They are designed to detect, deter and prevent terrorism, and are operated jointly by the FBI, California Highway Patrol, the state Department of Justice, the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and other local, state and federal law enforcement, fire service and other first responder agencies.
Managed and staffed by local agencies, the centers have proven their worth as a common information and intelligence-sharing network for local police and federal agents in the Central Valley region working to infiltrate or expose terrorist operations. Strong privacy protection measures have also been put in place to ensure the maximum protection of individual civil liberties.
In Stanislaus County, we have seen a dramatic drop in violent crime in the past decade. Consider that in 2000 there were 3,088 violent crimes; in 2009 the number fell to 2,721.
In order to keep the trend of fewer violent crimes, especially in difficult budget times, we need the public's help. Throughout the county, local law enforcement is building relationships with the community while strengthening their commitment to information sharing and reporting.
Working collaboratively and cooperatively, law enforcement can be most effective in averting crime, thereby making communities safer.
Fusion Centers provide significant leverage to help us achieve this goal, but it is informed residents who best know who in a neighborhood may be at risk of becoming involved in criminal activity, whether by dealing drugs or terrorism activities. Involvement in crime rarely occurs without someone from the community noticing a change in behavior — which is why we all must be ever vigilant.
With the fiscal realities facing all of us throughout the state, it's critical to maximize our scarce resources. Fusion Centers are one example of government agencies working together successfully to realize cost savings while protecting public safety.
Christianson is Stanislaus County's sheriff. E-mail: chradam@stanislaussheriff.com.
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