Grant Programs Directorate U.S. Department of Homeland Security Washington, DC 20472 Grant Programs Directorate Information Bulletin No. 288, April 25, 2008 TO: All State Administrative Agency Heads All State Administrative Agency Points of Contact All Core City/Core County Points of Contact All State Homeland Security Directors All State Emergency Management Agency Directors FROM: W. Ross Ashley, III Assistant Administrator Grant Programs Directorate (GPD) Federal Emergency Management Agency SUBJECT: Modification to FY 2008 Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP) Guidance Related to Hiring of Intelligence Analysts This Information Bulletin will serve to clarify guidance for the FY 2008 Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP) relative to the hiring of intelligence analysts to reside in State or local fusion centers. This modification will be applicable to the FY 2006, 2007 and 2008 Homeland Security Grant Programs (HSGP). This modification does not change the HSGP clarifications identified in Information Bulletin 281, from March 05, 2008. There currently exists a 2 year limitation in which grantees may use HSGP funds relative to the hiring of intelligence analysts. The FY 2008 HSGP Guidance states the following: Intelligence Analysts: SHSP and UASI funds may be used to hire new staff and/or contractor personnel to serve as intelligence analysts to enable information/intelligence sharing capabilities. In order to be hired as an intelligence analyst, staff and/or contractor personnel must meet at least one of the following criteria: • Successfully complete training to ensure baseline proficiency in intelligence analysis and production within six months of being hired; and/or, • Previously served as an intelligence analyst for a minimum of two years either in a Federal intelligence agency, the military, or State and/or local law enforcement intelligence unit. Costs associated with hiring new intelligence analysts are allowable only for two years, after which States and Urban Areas shall be responsible for supporting the sustainment costs for those intelligence analysts. Use of funds for the hiring of intelligence analysts represents a commitment by the grantee to sustain Federally-funded positions after the two-year Federal funding period with non-Federal funds. Failure to sustain such positions will result in disqualification of grantees from hiring analysts with Federal funds in future program years. In order to receive funds for hiring intelligence analysts, the SAA must retain certification on file stating that the responsible jurisdiction will assume responsibility for supporting the costs of the hired analysts following the two-year Federal funding period. This certification must also be accompanied by a budget plan providing the details of this arrangement. All intelligence analyst training should be in accordance with Global’s Minimum Criminal Intelligence Training Standards for Law Enforcement and Other Criminal Justice Agencies in the United States, which outlines the minimum categories of training needed for intelligence analysts. These include subject-matter expertise, analytic methodologies, customer-service ethics, information handling and processing skills, critical thinking skills, computer literacy, and objectivity and intellectual honesty. A certificate of completion of such training must be on file with the SAA and must be made available to Program Analysts upon request. DHS appreciates the critical contributions of intelligence analysts at State and Local Fusion Centers that include their unique expertise and understanding of local issues and customers’ needs on homeland security. Specifically, these analysts have access to local homeland security- related data and information that DHS has utilized in the past that has become a staple of the partnership between DHS and state and local fusion centers. It is because of this understanding that State and local fusion center analysts form the bridge between DHS and other Federal intelligence gathering partners, and that they are at the center of the Fusion process, that DHS is making the following modification. In order to afford a sufficient period of the time to the State and local fusion centers to obtain and retain the fusion center analysts needed to achieve their intelligence capability, DHS is hereby extending the period of time during which Homeland Security grant funding can pay the salary cost of an intelligence analyst, from two years to three years. As stated above, this modification will be applicable to the FY 2008 HSGP, as well as retroactive for the FY 2006 and 2007 HSGP. The information provided by State and local analysts is of tremendous value to the DHS and we have made this policy change so that State and local fusion centers can succeed both in establishing and retaining these analyst positions. The more DHS learns about the fusion process, the more essential State and local analysts have become in formulating the intelligence picture. This activity supports the DHS in the mission of sharing relevant information across the DHS Intelligence Enterprise and the Intelligence Community. Additional questions may be directed to your GPD Program Analyst or the Centralized Scheduling and Information Desk at askcsid@dhs.gov or 1-800-368-6498.