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Copyri ght 2014 Counterterrori sm Inc.
Al l Ri ghts Reserved.
Journal of Counterterrori sm and Homel and Securi ty Internati onal
Spring 2014
Vol . 20 No. 1
2836 words
Fusing Counter Terrorism, Crime and Natural Disasters: The Delaware Valley Intelligence Center In Philadelphia Is A
24/7 Operation
Paul Davi s.
Paul Davi s i s a contri buti ng edi tor to the Journal .
"The Del aware Val l ey Intel l i gence Center (DVIC) wi l l provi de tangi bl e securi ty benefi ts for our regi on," sai d Phi l adel phi a Mayor Nutter duri ng
a tour of the $20 mi l l i on dol l ar si te. "At the most basi c l evel , any fi rst responder i n the fi el d wi th a radi o wi l l have abi l i ty to connect wi th the
DVIC and share real -ti me i nformati on wi th a host of agenci es. Thi s i s a key step for our Ci ty and regi on, the si xth l argest metro regi on i n the
Nati on, i n prepari ng to respond to emergency si tuati ons."
Located on the si te of a former Defense Department l ogi sti cs center i n South Phi l adel phi a, the stated pri mary mi ssi on of the DVIC i s to
col l ect, i ntegrate, eval uate, anal yze and di ssemi nate i ntel l i gence about al l types of hazards i ncl udi ng terrori st threats, cri mi nal acti vi ty and
weather events. The DVIC was establ i shed to house al l of the regi on's assets together for counterterrori sm, cri me and natural di sasters.
The DVIC uses a Si tuati onal Awareness Portal that contai ns i ntegrati on wi th i nci dent management systems, automati c anal ysi s tool s, GIS
mappi ng and vi sual i zati on capabi l i ti es, data mi ni ng and advanced data anal yti cs software, and DE confl i cti on capabi l i ti es.
The DVIC's mi ssi on mi rrors the other 77 fusi on centers around the country. The DVIC i s operati onal twenty-four hours a day, seven days a
week. The agenci es represented i n the DVIC i ncl ude the Phi l adel phi a Pol i ce Department's Real Ti me Cri me Center, the Cri mi nal
Intel l i gence Uni t, the Homel and Securi ty Uni t, and the Hi gh Intensi ty Drug Traffi cki ng Area (HIDTA) Watch Center, as wel l as the U.S.
Department of Homel and Securi ty and other regi onal partner agenci es.
Inspector Wal t Smi th, a 26-year veteran of the Phi l adel phi a Pol i ce Department, serves as the Executi ve Di rector of the DVIC. Smi th al so
serves as the Chai rman of the Maj or Ci ti es Chi efs Intel l i gence Commander's Group and he i s the Vi ce Chai rman of the Fi ve County
Southeastern Pennsyl vani a Regi onal Counter Terrori sm Taskforce, "As the executi ve di rector of the DVIC, I manage the day-to-day tacti cal
and strategi c operati ons," Smi th sai d. "I work di rectl y for Phi l adel phi a Pol i ce Deputy Commi ssi oner Nol a Joyce, who works di rectl y for Pol i ce
Commi ssi oner Charl es Ramsey. I'm the i nspector of strategi c i ntel l i gence and i nformati on shari ng wi thi n the Phi l adel phi a Pol i ce
Department." Smi th sai d that under hi s i mmedi ate command at the DVIC are Phi l adel phi a Pol i ce Captai n Derek G. Kephart, the
commandi ng offi cer of the Real Ti me Cri me Center (RTCC) and DVIC deputy di rector Tara Garvey, as wel l as the Hi gh Intensi ty Drug
Traffi cki ng Area (HIDTA) Watch Group.
"The DVIC i s governed by a Managi ng Board that i ncl udes the Southeastern Pennsyl vani a Regi onal Task Force, the New Jersey Offi ce of
Homel and Securi ty & Preparedness, the Phi l adel phi a Area Regi onal Transi t Securi ty Worki ng Group, the Ci ty of Phi l adel phi a, the
Phi l adel phi a Pol i ce Department, and the executi ve di rector of the DVIC. There i s al so an Executi ve Advi sory Commi ttee composed of al l
DVIC member agenci es.
After taki ng a wri ter on a tour of the DVIC, Inspector Smi th i nvi ted the wri ter to the DVIC's conference room to di scuss the fusi on center's
mi ssi on. Smi th al so i nvi ted Captai n Kephart and hi s assi stant, Sergeant Jay P. Bowen, Phi l adel phi a Pol i ce Captai n Raymond J. Evers, the
commandi ng offi cer of the Cri mi nal Intel l i gence Uni t, Southeastern Pennsyl vani a Transportati on Authori ty (SEPTA) Detecti ve Grover
Li naweaver, and transportati on anal yst Bob Gi orgi o to si t i n.
"The whol e poi nt or goal behi nd the fusi on center was to create that col l aborati ve envi ronment where we can remove "stovepi pes." If you
can bri ng the ri ght peopl e to the ri ght pl ace at the ri ght ti me wi th the ri ght i nformati on, you can make a di fference," sai d Smi th. "Pri or to the
fusi on center bei ng establ i shed, the Phi l adel phi a Pol i ce Department had al l of these uni ts doi ng excel l ent work -- i ndi vi dual l y.
Col l aborati vel y, they do much better work."
"When a ti p or l ead comes i nto the 24/7 Real Ti me Cri me Center, not onl y do they i mmedi atel y appl y al l of the appl i cati ons from a


technol ogy standpoi nt and from a personnel i nvesti gati ve standpoi nt to i ni ti al l y grab that package and create that fol der of i nformati on, they
al so i mmedi atel y noti fy the Cri mi nal Intel l i gence Uni t," Smi th expl ai ned.
"In addi ti on to that, they al so have the opti on of noti fyi ng the Homel and Securi ty Uni t, whi ch si ts ri ght i n the same bui l di ng. If the ti p rel ates
to transi t, they have the transi t group ri ght i n the bui l di ng as wel l . If i t rel ates to port securi ty, we have the Coast Guard i n the bui l di ng. If i t i s
somethi ng that has to be l ooked at on the cl assi fi ed si de, we al so have a secure space that handl es cl assi fi ed i nformati on." Smi th went on to
state that they can l ook at thi s ti p from many di fferent angl es and provi de acti onabl e i ntel l i gence rapi dl y. "Terrori st-rel ated events happen
very qui ckl y," Smi th sai d. "You need to get ahead of the bad guy and the way to do that i s through i nformati on and i ntel l i gence pri or to the
event happeni ng."
Smi th sai d that fusi on centers on a nati onal l evel are supporti ng not onl y state and l ocal operati ons, but al so federal operati ons. Through
thei r Homel and Securi ty Uni t the DVIC has a di rect connecti on to the FBI Joi nt Terrori sm Task Force, and they have on si te a U.S.
Department of Homel and Securi ty i ntel l i gence offi cer. In the near future the DVIC wi l l have the FBI, the ATF and other federal and state
partners on si te.
"The DVIC has a "morni ng huddl e" and everyone from the di fferent components come i n and meets to di scuss i ssues, probl ems and
commonal i ty." Smi th sai d. "For i nstance, i f someone says there was a red truck was stol en i n South Phi l adel phi a and we thi nk i t may be
i nvol ved i n some suspi ci ous acti vi ty because we got a report of someone taki ng photos of the Sunoco Refi nery usi ng a red van. Homel and
Securi ty may say, hey, we're getti ng i nformati on that may contai n some form of ammoni a ni trate ferti l i zer, and the Transportati on guys may
say, hey, we saw the red van doi ng the same thi ng. That's how you start putti ng the mosai c together."
Smi th noted that si nce the Boston Marathon bombi ng l arge events wi th l arge amounts of peopl e are bei ng pol i ced di fferentl y. Offi ci al s are
l ooki ng cl osel y at these events from a counterterrori sm and homel and securi ty poi nt-of-vi ew. Smi th ci ted as an exampl e, the annual Army-
Navy game i n Phi l adel phi a.
"You have Ameri ca's best and bri ghtest i n one l ocati on and i t's a very val uabl e target, so we had our camera systems up and our i nvesti gators
out there, and there was a homel and securi ty package out there as wel l ," Smi th sai d. "Thi s i s a team functi on A col l aborati ve effort i s what
the fusi on center i s al l about. It i s about peopl e tal ki ng."
Captai n Kephart sai d that the Real Ti me Cri me Center uti l i zes technol ogy to fi ght cri me.
"One of the great thi ngs we do here i s the l i cense pl ate reader program," Kephart sai d. "We have a fl eet of l i cense pl ate reader cars out there
that scan l i cense pl ates".
Kephart expl ai ned that i f a robber j umps i n a vehi cl e and fl ees the scene after a robbery, and the vi cti m onl y has a vague descri pti on, but
possi bl y a tag number, the center can run that number i n thei r system. If the tag number does not come back to an owner, as cri mi nal s don't
often pay thei r l i cense, regi strati on and proof of i nsurance; i t wi l l come back as a "dead tag." "However, usi ng the Li cense Pl ate Reader
Program, we are abl e to show the i nvesti gati ng offi cers on a map where we have scanned that l ocati on before," Kephart expl ai ned. "So that
car may have been scanned at a l ocati on si x ti mes l ast month between the hours of 12 am and si x am. We can put a pl ai ncl othes pol i ce
team out there so we can stop the vehi cl e and make the i nvesti gati on from there."
"Vi deo cameras speak for themsel ves. They are a great wi tness," Kephart sai d. "We have cri mes commi tted al l of the ti me and these cameras
are set up i n such of a way that they gi ve a good vi ew. We recentl y caught a shooti ng i n one of our hi gh cri me l ocati ons. A ci ti zen was si tti ng
on a stoop, fami l i es are wal ki ng by, and then an assai l ant came up, shoots the ci ti zen and fl ed the scene. We were abl e get a good
descri pti on of the assai l ant vi a our vi deo camera." Kephart sai d that they al so often get vi deo evi dence and the tag number of peopl e
l eavi ng the scene of an auto acci dent.
"The Real Ti me Cri me Center i s an al l -threats, al l -cri me, al l -hazards center, so we are al ways l ooki ng for current threats," Smi th sai d. "We
work wi th the Offi ce of Emergency Management i n Phi l adel phi a, and we make sure we know what's goi ng on i n the ci ty. That whol e system
comes together: Homel and Securi ty, ci ty servi ces, emergency management, fi re, pol i ce, and the Del aware Val l ey Intel l i gence Center's many
components for maj or events."
For exampl e, Smi th agai n spoke of the Army-Navy game, where the Homel and Securi ty Uni t as wel l as the DVIC supported that event.
"We provi ded a threat assessment for al l of the peopl e who parti ci pated i n securi ty for the event," Smi th sai d. "We al so di d threat assessments
for the PGA Gol f Tour i n Del aware County and after the Boston Marathon bombi ng we al so di d a threat assessment for the Broad Street Run.
Thi s was an i mportant effort for us and thi s was a good col l aborati ve effort. It i s a shame that i t takes a tragedy to bri ng us al l together."
Smi th sai d they al so prepare "Snapshot Reports." Smi th expl ai ned that i f an i nci dent occurs i n another ci ty or i nternati onal l y, they l ook at i t
and ask what i t means for the Phi l adel phi a area.
"We create a qui ck synopsi s of what occurred, the method of operati ons, what the systems that brought i t together, and we try to provi de that
si tuati on awareness to our partners".
Smi th sai d they were movi ng to connect to the communi ty, l ooki ng at groups such as town watch organi zati ons and communi ty servi ce
representati ves. The pol i ce can't do i t al one, he sai d.
"We do good work, but we do better work wi th partnershi ps." Smi th sai d that one of the thi ngs they created was the Homel and Securi ty
Informati on Network Portal . When there i s a maj or event, al l of the fusi on centers across the country connect to the portal and they are abl e to
share si tuati onal awareness -- i n real ti me -- wi th other centers. "There i s no border for terrori sm or cri me," Smi th sai d.
Smi th sai d that protecti ng ci vi l ri ghts and ci vi l l i berti es has been the cornerstone of the center.
"You can't effecti vel y enforce the l aw by vi ol ati ng the l aw. Earl y on we establ i shed a formal i zed pri vacy pol i cy," Smi th sai d. "Thi s i s al so true
throughout the Nati onal Fusi on Center Associ ati on, whi ch i s a network of fusi on centers."
Kephart added that they have establ i shed robust consti tuti onal protecti ons i n the Real Ti me Cri me Center and the DVIC
"Our vi deo camera data i s onl y hel d for 30 days. If i t i s of no i nvesti gati ve use, we del ete i t," Kephart sai d. "Li cense pl ate reader data i s
saved for one year. These safeguards are i n pl ace by pol i cy."
Smi th sai d they abi de by al l state and federal l aws and they are part of the 28 CFR Part 23, the i ntel l i gence gatheri ng process.
Sergeant Bowen sai d that every acti on i n the watch center i s gi ven a control number.
"We have a portal system where we recei ve an R5, (Request for Informati on) that has an ORI (Ori gi nati ng Agency Identi fi cati on) number,"
Bowden sai d. "We veri fy who these i ndi vi dual s are and then we perform a task based on that i nformati on, whether i t i s vi deo, i nvesti gati ve
support, soci al medi a/open source, faci al recogni ti on, l i cense pl ate readers. Everythi ng i s gi ven a control number and i t i s al ways moni tored
and supervi sed by someone here. Anythi ng maj or or cri ti cal i s pushed out to an emai l group, whether i t i s Homel and Securi ty, the i nspector,
or the captai n."
Bowen noted that duri ng Hurri cane Sandy there were areas of Phi l adel phi a that fl ooded.
"We have cameras i n the fl ood zones and we rel ayed that i nformati on to Emergency Management. I thi nk that once the publ i c knows i t's a
hel pful tool and not a spyi ng tool , I thi nk we'l l get more of a buy-i n as the publ i c i s the end-user,' Bowen sai d.
Captai n Raymond J. Evers, the commandi ng offi cer of the Cri mi nal Intel l i gence Uni t sai d that they keep tabs on organi zed cri me, motorcycl e
gangs and street gangs i n Phi l adel phi a.
"We get i nformati on from the streets, package i t i n a way, and get i t back to our patrol offi cers and our detecti ves on the streets," Evers sai d.
"The most i mportant thi ng i s offi cer safety and getti ng the ri ght i nformati on to our commanders who are maki ng strategi c moves on where to
put our pol i ce personnel ." Evers sai d they want to put our pol i ce offi cers and i nvesti gators i n the areas where they bel i eve that cri me i s goi ng
to happen.
"If there i s a shooti ng at a drug corner i n East Di vi si on, we predi ct that there wi l l be some ki nd of retal i ati on," Evers sai d. "Our commanders
may know al ready, but we reaffi rm that thi s i s what we are heari ng from our street i nformati on, our i nformants, and thi ngs of that nature. Al so,
i f through ei ther our debri efi ngs or speaki ng to our confi denti al i nformants, we l earn a person i s carryi ng a gun, that's i nformati on we want to
get out ri ght away to our cops. If they come across that person, we want them to use as much cauti on as possi bl e."
"We have i ssues wi th the Russi ans and the Asi ans gangs si mi l ar to when i n the 1930s and 1940s there where l anguage and cul tural barri ers
wi th the Ital i an La Cosa Nostra (LCN). But these groups, l i ke the Ital i ans, are getti ng more assi mi l ated i nto Ameri ca."
Evers sai d that human traffi cki ng of women and j uveni l es by Asi an gangs i s a huge concern for the uni t. The Cri mi nal Intel l i gence Uni t works
cl osel y wi th the Phi l adel phi a Pol i ce Vi ce Uni t and thei r federal partners. "We al so work cl osel y wi th the Real Ti me Cri me Center here at the
DVIC." Evers sai d. "You have a l ot of technol ogy here, but what cri mi nal i ntel l i gence bri ngs i s the human el ement. You can't get away from
face-to-face deal i ng wi th the publ i c, goi ng out there and tal ki ng to peopl e, havi ng a cop knock on your door. Pol i ci ng wi l l never get away
from that. But i f you match the technol ogy of the Real Ti me Cri me Center and the human el ement of cri mi nal i ntel l i gence together, i t i s a
perfect team."
Evers sai d that wi th hi s uni t i ntegrated at the DVIC, worki ng together i n the same space, they can get thi ngs done a l ot qui cker.
"It i s about bei ng al l on the same fl oor, the same space, worki ng together," Evers sai d. "We had an i ssue when two i ndi vi dual s wanted for
several homi ci des were usi ng publ i c transportati on getti ng from Southwest Phi l l y al l the way to North Phi l l y. We worked cl osel y wi th SEPTA -
who are ri ght here across the hal l - because we wanted our SEPTA partners to be aware that these were downri ght ki l l ers."
Evers sai d that one of the two ki l l ers was l ater ki l l ed and the other captured after a shoot-out wi th the FBI and the Phi l adel phi a Pol i ce.
"Everybody i n thi s faci l i ty was strategi cal l y pl aced here by the pol i ce department to enhance i ts overal l mi ssi on," Smi th sai d. "Our
Commi ssi oner sai d these are the key peopl e who need to be here. Now there are other uni ts that woul d fi t i n as wel l , and we may grow and
expand to i ncl ude that capabi l i ty. We have the key pl ayers."
Bob Gi orgi o spoke of the startup of the Phi l adel phi a Regi onal Transi t Securi ty Worki ng Group, whi ch was put together by SEPTA and
PATCO, al ong wi th Amtrak and CXX.
Gi orgi o, a transportati on anal yst and reti red fi re chi ef wi th experti se i n homel and securi ty, sai d they wi l l have a watch center operati on to
take ti ps and l eads. "Our peopl e here wi l l l ook at that i nformati on and make compari sons and i f somethi ng ri ses to the l evel of an emergency,
emergency forces wi l l be noti fi ed," Gi orgi o sai d. "One of the thi ngs we're l ooki ng at i s pre-operati onal terrori sm -- such as somebody out there
l ooki ng at the transi t system tryi ng to determi ne vul nerabi l i ti es. There are 1.2 mi l l i on dai l y ri ders across the two systems, wi th j ust under 300
stati ons. Those pol i ce offi cers have a l arge terri tory to protect. We're supporti ng them and the publ i c."
Gi orgi o sai d that i f there i s suspi ci ous acti vi ty occurri ng i n Phi l adel phi a or i n Los Angel es on the transi t systems, they can reach out to thei r
federal partners at the DVIC to put more eyes on i t to determi ne i f there are operati onal cel l s prepari ng to do somethi ng.
"Instead of the transi t agenci es getti ng together to form thei r own fusi on center, i t i s done here at the DVIC under one house," Gi orgi o sai d.
SEPTA Detecti ve Grover Li naweaver sai d he was pl aced at the DVIC to serve as a l i ai son offi cer between the fusi on center and the transi t
system.
"I came as a detecti ve, so I do a l ot of vetti ng for the anal ysts," Li naweaver sai d.
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Smi th sai d that i n addi ti on to terrori sm and cri me, the DVIC l ooks at al l -hazards, l i ke fl oodi ng, i ce storms that knock out power systems, as wel l
as pandemi cs. He sai d they work cl osel y wi th the Department of Publ i c Heal th i n Phi l adel phi a, as wel l as the CDC and other organi zati ons.
"Informati on and i ntel l i gence are dri vi ng operati ons," Smi th sai d.
August 16, 2014

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