On the 11^th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks, the Constitution Project,based in Washington, DC, released a new report on the 77 fusion centers currently operating in the United States. The report was released in conjunction with a panel discussion on the same day which discussed various aspects and recommendations for fusion centers. The panel included David Gersten, Director of Programs, Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, Department of Homeland Security; Mary McCarthy, former Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Intelligence Programs, National Security Council; Sameera Hafiz, Policy Director, Rights Working Group; Jim Trainum, a retired detective from the Metropolitan Police Department of Washington, DC; and Sharon Bradford Franklin who moderated the panel and is a Senior Counsel with the Constitution project.

The new report highlights how the collection, use and storage of such massive amounts of personal and potentially sensitive information can threaten constitutional rights to privacy, equal protection and freedom of expression, and offers recommended policy changes to better safeguard civil liberties.

Click to listen to the audio from the event releasing the report and panel discussion.