Enhanced Law Enforcement Agency Collaboration through the Georgia Terrorism Intelligence Project

Last month, law enforcement agencies from across Georgia participated in the annual Georgia Terrorism Intelligence Project (GTIP) training at the Classic Center in Athens, Georgia, co-hosted by the Athens Clarke County Police Department. GBI Director Vic Reynolds addressed participants thanking them for their service and participation in the program which promotes partnership, collaboration and information sharing. The training had representation from 18 state and local law enforcement agencies and featured presentations and panel discussions concerning the domestic extremist threat.

GTIP was created and developed by the GBI and Georgia Information Sharing and Analysis Center (GISAC), also known as Georgia’s Fusion Center in late 2004 to develop effective strategies to meet the various needs of intelligence sharing between agencies at all levels. This strategic development recognized that effective intelligence sharing required higher-level intelligence analysis along with skilled analysts to do it. GTIP was conceived with the objective of providing basic and advanced analytical training to analysts across Georgia to create a collaborative and secure anti-terrorism and all-crimes information sharing network among the involved agencies, to include GISAC, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). GTIP currently has a membership of 25+ law enforcement agencies.

“The program has been very successful throughout the years and continues to prove its worth in intelligence analyst training and collaboration for Georgia law enforcement in connecting the dots and solving crime," says GBI Director Vic Reynolds. "In today’s current threat environment, inclusion of additional sheriff’s offices and police departments around the state has started as more and more law enforcement agencies prepare for emerging crime trends and threats."

“The Georgia Terrorism Intelligence Project (GTIP) training is essential to ensure that members of the Atlanta Police Department (APD) are well informed and prepared to proactively handle a variety of situations and threats as they arise,” said APD Chief Rodney Bryant. “We embrace opportunities to collaborate with our fellow law enforcement agencies, as it allows us to learn best practices and strategies that will positively contribute to our crime fighting efforts.”

Retired GBI Inspector Don Robertson developed the GTIP program in 2005. Retired GBI Deputy Director Scott Dutton was recently appointed as the new GTIP Coordinator.

Special thanks to the National Counter-Terrorism Center, FBI, DHS, the Charleston County (SC) Government Public Safety Department, the Institute for Intergovernmental Research, U.S. Department of Justice/SLATT – State and Local Anti-Terrorism Training Program, George Washington University, and Georgetown University who provided training on related topics.

Agencies in attendance were: Athens-Clarke County Police Department, Atlanta Police Department, Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, Clayton County Police Department, Cobb County Police Department, Columbus Police Department, Georgia Department of Corrections, Georgia Southern University Police Department, Georgia Technology Authority, Georgia Tech Police Department, Houston County Sheriff’s Office, Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office, Macon-Bibb County Sheriff’s Office, Marietta Police Department, Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, Roswell Police Department, South Fulton Police Department, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation – GISAC.