In addition to our customers at the local police and sheriff's offices, the Division of Intelligence also provides support to other programs and task forces.
Iowa Law Enforcement Intelligence Network (LEIN)
The Iowa Law Enforcement Intelligence Network (LEIN) is an award-winning program established by the Department of Public Safety in 1984. The administrative responsibilities for LEIN are assigned to the Iowa Department of Public Safety's Division of Intelligence and Fusion Center. State, county and local law enforcement agencies from across the state of Iowa provide support to LEIN operations.
LEIN’s membership consists of law enforcement officers who have successfully completed a two-week criminal intelligence course conducted by the Department. LEIN members work together with the Department to accomplish two related objectives:
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Develop and disseminate knowledge about significant criminal conditions that affect the state of Iowa; and,
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Use this knowledge to identify, investigate, and remove these criminal conditions.
To achieve the first objective, LEIN serves as a mechanism for the statewide collection and exchange of criminal intelligence information. LEIN members submit information reports to the Department’s Division of Intelligence, which in turn disseminates the information to participating agencies throughout the state. These agencies then use the information to identify and evaluate criminal activity in their area.
Through the LEIN program the Department promotes cooperation among law enforcement agencies in the state, resulting in improved delivery of public safety services to citizens throughout the state.
State of Iowa Intelligence Fusion Center
Building on the success and framework of the LEIN program, the State of Iowa Intelligence Fusion Center brings together information from law enforcement, public safety, homeland security, and private sector partners. This “fusion process” strengthens our state’s ability to detect and prevent crime and terrorism, and helps protect the critical infrastructure and key assets of our state and our nation. In addition to the Department of Public Safety's Division of Intelligence, six communities in the state – one in each of the six LEIN regions – serve as regional locations that facilitate the intelligence fusion process. All participants work closely with the Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management Division. This initiative, as an extension of the LEIN program, improves situational awareness, strengthens analysis, and broadens information sharing to appropriately include law enforcement, public safety, homeland security, and private sector entities.
Drug Task Forces and the Iowa National Guard Counterdrug Program
The Iowa National Guard Counterdrug Task Force has assigned criminal intelligence analysts to drug task forces throughout the state. These analysts provide direct support to all law enforcement agencies within their areas of responsibility. Although they are given operational assignments at the task force level, their intelligence work is coordinated through and integrated with the LEIN program where additional Iowa National Guard Counterdrug analysts and leadership are assigned. Additionally, LEIN officers are assigned to virtually every drug task force in the state. Finally, the Midwest High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) provides funding for one criminal intelligence analyst at the Division of Intelligence, to assist HIDTA participants and address the statewide drug threat. The close association between the National Guard Counterdrug Analysts, the LEIN program, HIDTA, and the Division of Intelligence and Fusion Center increases the coordination of information sharing among law enforcement agencies and drug task forces statewide.
Multi-Jurisdictional Operations
The Division of Intelligence and Fusion Center provides support to multi-jurisdictional operations throughout the year, involving local, state, and federal law enforcement officers. The types of criminal activities these multi-jurisdictional operations investigate are burglary, extortion, fraud, gambling, gangs, murder, narcotics, organized crime, robbery, weapon offenses, and other crimes. By providing this support, and acting as a central information source for these operations, the Division of Intelligence and Fusion Center greatly enhances law enforcement's ability to deal with the complex and transient criminals of today.