Rep. Tony Dale congratulates Dale Avant, deputy assistant director for the DPS Intelligence and Counterterrorism Division, for the DPS JCIC for being named 2014 Fusion Center of the Year.
Rep. Tony Dale congratulates Emily Robertson, DPS research analyst, who received the Fusion Center Employee of the Year award.
AUSTIN – The Texas Legislature recently recognized the Texas Joint Crime Information Center (JCIC) of the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) for being named the 2014 Fusion Center of the Year, and two JCIC employees, Emily Robertson and David Jackson, were also honored for individual achievements. As part of the acknowledgement, Rep. Tony Dale on March 5 presented House Resolution (HR) 748 during a reading on the floor of the House of Representatives, and last week, met in-person with award recipients at the Capitol to honor their accomplishments.
“I truly admire the members of the Texas Joint Crime Information Center who have committed their lives and careers to helping others, and I cannot overstate how crucial their work is to protecting public safety,” said Rep. Dale. “The Texas Legislature is grateful for their strong commitment to excellence, and it was a pleasure to honor their achievements and contributions to ensuring the safety and well-being of Texans.”
“DPS has been entrusted with the tremendous responsibility of protecting the residents of this great state, and the Texas Joint Crime Information Center is a vital tool in helping us fulfill that duty,” said DPS Director Steven McCraw. “The men and women of the JCIC work around the clock every day to make our communities safer, and these prestigious awards and legislative recognition are an affirmation of their commitment to homeland security in Texas and the entire nation.”
In November 2014, the National Fusion Center Association presented the DPS’ JCIC with the Fusion Center of the Year award, which recognizes centers that have provided exceptional services to their jurisdictions and exhibit outstanding best practices to the nation. Emily Robertson, Research Analyst, received the Fusion Center Employee of the Yearawardfor herexceptional services to the national network of fusion centers. David Jackson,Critical Infrastructure Planner,received TheMichael Schooler Critical Infrastructure Protection Awardfor his efforts to promote the Texas Infrastructure Protection Plan and to increase private sector partnership within the program.
Fusion centers serve as focal points within the state and local environment for the receipt, analysis, gathering, and sharing of threat-related information between the federal government and state, local, tribal, territorial and private sector partners. There are 78 fusion centers located in states and urban areas across the country.
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