JEFFERSON CITY, Mo -- U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano's tour of Missouri's "fusion center" on March 11 was her first visit to a state fusion center since joining President Barack Obama's Cabinet. Governor Jay Nixon briefed Napolitano on the workings of the fusion center, known as the Missouri Information Analysis Center (MIAC).

The Governor also briefed Napolitano on how Missouri's State Emergency Management Agency responded to the January ice storm that struck southern Missouri. Twenty-one Missouri counties were declared federal disaster areas. Gov. Nixon, who repeatedly talked with Napolitano personally in the days following the ice storm, thanked her for her help in speeding federal assistance.

Department of Public Safety Director John M. Britt led the tour of MIAC, SEMA and the Missouri Highway Patrol’s Mobile Command & Communications Vehicle. Key Department of Public Safety officials who also took part in the tour and briefings were: Andrea Spillars, Deputy Director; Paul Fennewald, Homeland Security Coordinator; and Paul Parmenter, SEMA Director.

Following the tour, a discussion between Gov. Nixon, Sec. Napolitano, and Dir. Britt focused on efforts to enhance cooperation between the states and the federal government on joint homeland security, emergency response and fusion center efforts. All three support stronger federal-state cooperation, particularly as a way of containing costs in a tight budget environment.

Sec. Napolitano and Gov. Nixon then traveled to Kansas City to address the National Fusion Center Conference. Fusion centers are collaborative efforts by law enforcement and other agencies to pool information, resources and analysis to better address and detect crime and potential terrorist threats. Napolitano called fusion centers, which often receive federal funding and work with federal agencies, "the future of law enforcement."

		Left to right: Governor Jay Nixon, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Department of Public Safety Deputy Director Andrea Spillars during a briefing on SEMA’s response to the January Ice Storm in southern Missouri.
Left to right: Governor Jay Nixon, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Department of Public Safety Director John M. Britt leaving the Missouri Information Analysis Center.