Cross-jurisdictional criminal activity networks to support border and transportation security

Abstract

Border and transportation security is a critical part of the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) national strategy. DHS strategy calls for the creation of "smart borders" where information from local, state, federal, and international sources can be combined to support risk-based management tools for border-management agencies. This paper proposes a framework for effectively integrating such data to create cross-jurisdictional criminal activity networks (CAN)s. Using the approach outlined in the framework, we created a CAN system as part of the DHS-funded BorderSafe project. This paper describes the system, reports on feedback received from investigating officers, and highlights key issues and challenges.