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Contact: Debbie Morton, dmorton@mercyhurst.edu; +1-814-824-2552 (U.S.)
After July 9: +1-814-450-9949
Ridge, Ahern advocate ‘sharing of intelligence’
Building a network of intelligence collaborators across and public and private sectors is critical to good decision-making and has universal application around the world, agreed the morning’s leading speakers at the inaugural Global Intelligence Forum: The Dungarvan Conference.
In his keynote address, the first U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, Tom Ridge, said, “Information sharing has become the epicenter of everything we do in this interdependent, interconnected world. It makes little difference whether you are chasing criminals or expanding your business, decisions are best rendered with benefit of information analysis.”
Dermot Ahern TD, Irish Minister for Justice and Law Reform, said the conference theme – intelligence analysis – touches at the very heart of his country’s law enforcement services.
“From the essential day-to-day activities of policing communities, to the ever-growing complexities of the international fight against terrorism and organized crime, good intelligence gathering, analysis, and sharing is the lifeblood of the activities of police and law enforcement services,” Ahern told the audience of more than 175.
Organized by the Mercyhurst College Institute for Intelligence Analysis in Erie, Pa., which shares a Sister City relationship with Dungarvan, the unique summit is intended to serve as a platform for the exchange and sharing of best practices in intelligence analysis across multiple disciplines. Mercyhurst’s program is the largest academic enterprise of its kind in the world.
Ridge credited Mercyhurst for bringing “this new generation of knowledge workers” together to share information and learn from each other.
“I am here today because I am proud of this small private college in my hometown of Erie, Pa.,” he said. “Mercyhurst is a pioneer in the development and delivery of intelligence studies, and I see enormous potential for the future of this conference and its agenda, which has universal application throughout the world.”
Ahern spoke of the Irish government’s commitment to enhancing the intelligence capabilities of the Garda Siochana. He specifically addressed the law passed by Parliament that sanctions the use of covert surveillance evidence in court, allowing more strategic targeting of both terrorism and organized crime in Ireland.
He also publicly credited the intelligence sharing initiatives of Kathleen O’Toole, chief inspector of the Garda Inspectorate and former Massachusetts Secretary of Public Safety and Boston Police Commissioner.
The conference continues at Dungarvan’s Town Hall Theatre through Tuesday with presentations from leading practitioners across multiple disciplines, among them business, national security, medicine, and the law.
