Information Sharing: Exploring the Intersection of Policing with National and Military Intelligence

Abstract

Policing and police intelligence rarely overlapped or intersected with national and military intelligence before September 11, 2001. Since then, a great amount of emphasis has been placed on improving intelligence and information sharing. This article explores the details of information sharing between (1) police and (2) national and military intelligence using fourteen police/intelligence experts who responded to six hypothetical scenarios. Results indicate that the complexity of the inter-organizational setting and the newness of information-sharing protocols create uncertainty about what information should be shared in different situations, and inconsistency about how it should be shared. Additionally, customs, traditions, and tensions between agencies and levels of government still seem to interfere with the amount of information that actually would be shared in various situations.