SPY DATA NETWORK IN CHAOS LITTLE INFORMATION SHARED.

Byline: Bill Hillburg Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON - From top federal spymasters to Los Angeles police officers on the beat, America's homeland defenses against terrorism continue to be an array of largely disconnected intelligence and law enforcement operations.

Critics are calling for unified leadership and more sharing of information by federal, state and local agencies. And they are weighing the possible erosion of civil liberties against the threat of continued terrorism and the reality of thousands of murdered Americans.

``Current federal efforts to combat terrorism are inherently difficult to lead and manage because the policies, strategies, programs, budgets and activities are spread across more than 40 different federal agencies,'' U.S. Comptroller General David M. Walker said in a Sept. 20 report to Congress.

The report recommended that federal anti-terrorism efforts be led by a single coordinator reporting to the president.

The concept has already been embraced by President George W. Bush, who has announced plans for a cabinet-level Office of Homeland Security. Bush nominated Pennsylvania Gov. Thomas Ridge as secretary.

``These bureaucracies are very large and they don't like to give anything up,'' said U.S. Rep. Stephen Horn, R-Lakewood, who chairs the House Subcommittee on Government Efficiency, Financial Management and Intergovernmental Relations. ``They need a direct order to act from the president, and now they're getting it.''

Despite a 1947 law that designated the director of the Central Intelligence Agency as the nation's coordinator of spying efforts, military and other agencies involved in intelligence gathering have rarely been in full cooperation.

Retired Adm. Stansfield Turner, who directed the CIA from 1977 to 1981 under President Jimmy Carter, recalled that he had to make formal requests to the Pentagon for reconnaissance photos collected by military spy planes and satellites. It was one of many frustrations he faced in attempting to get cooperation from other federal agencies.

``When I see he (Ridge) is going to order the CIA and the Pentagon around, I say 'Good luck,''' Turner said.

Intelligence operations also suffer from outmoded or easily hacked computer systems, noted Horn, whose panel last year gave the federal government an overall grade of D-minus for computer security.

Privacy and control laws, enacted by Congress in response to Watergate, Iran-Contra and other scandals involving intelligence abuses, also block the free flow and sharing of data that could be used to fight terrorism.

For example, the Internal Revenue Service and Social Security Administration both greatly restrict access to the plentiful personal and financial data in their files.

And the Census Bureau shares no data with the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

Data sharing is still in its infancy at the State Department's Bureau of Consular Affairs, which is charged with screening foreign visa applicants for possible terrorist or criminal ties. Several of the terrorists implicated in the Sept. 11 attacks were living in the U.S. on tourist, student or work permit visas that were issued by consular employees stationed at U.S. embassies and consulates overseas.

Catherine Barry, manager of the State Department's visa office, recently testified to Congress that her department was sharing some computerized information with the Immigration and Naturalization Service and was still seeking full access to data collected by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

``We still have much work to complete in this area,'' said Barry, whose office issued more than 7.5 million visas to foreign applicants in 2000.

Cooperation and data sharing are also issues for the Los Angeles Police Department, which bars most contact with the INS. Under the city's Special Order 40, enacted in 1979, police and other employees are banned from sharing information on a person's immigration status with the INS.

The order, which was disobeyed by several LAPD officers implicated in the Rampart Division scandal, remains in force despite a 1996 federal law that mandated local cooperation with immigration officials.

``The order has worked very well for us,'' said LAPD Commander Sharon Papa. ``We need the cooperation of witnesses to solve crimes. We can't get that if there's a perception that assisting an investigation will expose someone to prosecution because of their immigration status.''

Papa noted that the LAPD's technology challenges are similar to those facing federal agencies.

For example, officers in the field can use computers in their patrol cars to gain access to countywide and statewide lists of wanted persons, including those with warrants against them. But information on parole violators is only available through a county database accessed at police stations.

LAPD and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, which runs the county's jails, also maintain separate tracking systems for arrestees and prisoners. Lack of coordinated systems has resulted in the premature release of some suspects.

``We'd love to have a one-stop shopping system to assist our officers,'' said Papa. ``But the money and the software just aren't there yet.''

As for the war on terror, Papa said the LAPD's anti-terrorism division has close ties - and enjoys a free flow of information - with the FBI and other agencies. But she noted that, ``for the average street patrol, that kind of information is limited and basically goes out on a need-to-know basis.''

As the White House attempts to marshal its homeland defenses, rights advocates including the American Civil Liberties Union have cautioned against giving federal, state and local law enforcement too much free rein.

Rep. Jane Harman, D-Redondo Beach, the ranking Democrat on the House Subcommittee on Terrorism and Homeland Security, said she fully supports a stepped up anti-terrorism effort, but cautioned that all moves ``must respect the civil liberties and intelligence of Americans.''

Other lawmakers are calling for stronger measures to force cooperation among federal agencies.

LOYALTIES ARE DIVIDED

The Los Angeles Police Department has data-sharing issues, too.

--Special Order 40: Enacted by the city of Los Angeles in 1979, this policy bars police from giving information on any person's immigration status to the Immigration and Naturalization Service. The order remains in force despite a 1996 federal law that mandated local cooperation with immigration officials.

--Parole data: From their patrol-car computers, LAPD officers can access a countywide and statewide list of persons who are wanted or have warrants against them. But information on parole status and parole violations is kept in a separate county database accessible only at police stations.

--Prisoner tracking: The LAPD and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, which runs county jails, maintain separate computer tracking systems for arrestees and prisoners.

--Federal cooperation: Federal cooperation is at a high level for the LAPD anti-terrorism unit and top department officials. But the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration and other federal agencies work some local cases without LAPD participation or notification. For patrol officers, information on federal enforcement, including anti-terrorism efforts, is disseminated on a need-to-know basis.

SOURCE: LAPD; Daily News research

DISJOINTED DEFENSES?

Here are federal agencies that have roles in anti-terrorism efforts:

WHITE HOUSE

--President is commander in chief of armed forces.

--National Security Council is responsible for coordinating all anti- terrorism programs.

--Secretary of homeland defense is proposed by President Bush.

CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY

--Independent agency, reports to president. Collects and analyzes intelligence, conducts counterintelligence activities. Coordinates intelligence efforts by other federal agencies.

JUSTICE DEPARTMENT

--Attorney general is nation's top law enforcement official.

--Federal Bureau of Investigation has primary responsibility for response to domestic terrorism. Collects and analyzes intelligence.

--Immigration and Naturalization Service enforces immigration laws, including visa violations, and includes Border Patrol.

--U.S. Marshals Service protects federal courts and judges, and pursues fugitives.

--Drug Enforcement Administration: Intelligence operation focused on narco-terrorism.

STATE DEPARTMENT

--Has primary responsibility for response to international terrorism.

--Bureau of Intelligence and Research: Collects, analyzes intelligence overseas.

--Bureau of Consular Affairs: Issues passports to estimated 7 million Americans each year. Screens and tracks foreign applicants for an estimated 8 million immigrant, work, student and tourist visas issued each year.

DEFENSE DEPARTMENT

--Joint Chiefs of Staff: Central command for Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps, which each also have their own commands.

--National Security Agency: Collects, intercepts, decodes and analyzes communications.

--National Reconnaissance Office: Collects intelligence via satellites, aircraft.

--Defense Intelligence Agency: Collects, analyzes military intelligence worldwide. Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps also each have intelligence operations.

TREASURY DEPARTMENT

--Secret Service: Protects president, vice president and families, handles counterfeiting and other forms of financial fraud. Has intelligence operation.

--Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms: Handles cases involving weapons, explosives. Has intelligence operation.

--Customs Service: Primary responsibility for border defense. Focus is on smuggling. Screens incoming passengers and cargoes.

ENERGY DEPARTMENT

--Operates own intelligence bureau.

--National Nuclear Safety Administration: Protects and secures nuclear power plants, labs and weapons stockpiles.

TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT

--Coast Guard: Responsible for security in ports, coastal waters. Has intelligence operation.

--Federal Aviation Administration: Responsible for commercial air traffic control and safety, including sky marshal anti-terrorism unit.

FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY 

--Lead agency for recovery and victim assistance after terrorist attacks.

SOURCE: Daily News research

CAPTION(S):

2 boxes

Box:

(1) LOYALTIES ARE DIVIDED (see text)

(2) DISJOINTED DEFENSES? (see text)