Intelligence and High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA's): A critical Evaluation of the HIDTA Investigative Support Center (ISC)

This is a NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL MONTEREY CA report procured by the Pentagon and made available for public release. It has been reproduced in the best form available to the Pentagon. It is not spiral-bound, but rather assembled with Velobinding in a soft, white linen cover. The Storming Media report number is A222724. The abstract provided by the Pentagon follows: The purpose of this thesis is to evaluate critically the ongoing reform of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Investigative Support Center (ISC). Prior to 9/11, the national intelligence apparatus was littered with flaws, including lack of information sharing, interagency conflict, and autonomous operations. The HIDTA Intelligence Support Center in New Mexico was no exception. Post 9/11, many national agencies realized that in order to address successfully the increasing threat of terror, several changes needed to be made in the intelligence system at all levels. Similarly, the HIDTA investigative Support Center has reacted to the post 9/11 environment by more strictly enforcing its framework for information-sharing and instituting a series of changes in its institutional processes. This process of reform has yielded positive results for the New Mexico HIDTA ISC. The ISC has now transformed into the centerpiece of information exchange and interagency cooperation among HIDTA members. The ISC is also acting as a conduit or Fusion Center for information sharing between agencies investigating crimes relating to drug trafficking, terrorism, and money laundering.