Should the Feds Notify Local Law Enforcement When an Inmate Convicted of Terrorism is Released? (H.R. 2471)
Do you support or oppose this bill?
What is H.R. 2471?
(Updated August 6, 2019)
This bill — known as the TRACER Act — would require that state and local law enforcement be notified when federal prisoners convicted of terrorism into their communities. The Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS) would inform those agencies through the State, Local, and Regional Fusion Center Initiative and provide release information including the prisoner’s name, charging date, and expected place and date of release. Under current law this information isn’t required to be shared.
DHS would coordinate with appropriate federal officials to provide state, local, and regional fusion centers with periodic assessments regarding the overall threat from known or suspected terrorists currently incarcerated in a federal correctional facility.
The bill’s full title is the Terrorist Release Announcements to Counter Extremist Recidivism Act.
Argument in favor
The federal government has a responsibility to let local law enforcement know that an inmate convicted of international terrorism is released from custody. Several hundred such prisoners will be released in the coming years, and this bill formalizes the currently informal notification process.
Argument opposed
Simply having a formal notification process for Homeland Security to communicate to local law enforcement that an inmate convicted of international terrorism is being released may not be enough to stop that ex-prisoner from returning to terrorism and helping to carry out an attack.
Impact
Inmates being released from federal prisons who were convicted of international terrorism; local law enforcement agencies; and DHS.
Cost of H.R. 2471
A CBO cost estimate is unavailable.
Additional Info
In-Depth: Sponsoring Rep. John Rutherford (R-FL) introduced this bill to require the federal government, through DHS, to share information about the release of individuals convicted of terrorism from prison with state and local law enforcement agencies:
“Every day, America’s public safety officers place themselves in harm’s way. For this they deserve not only our gratitude, but every tool necessary to keep our communities and families safe. That is why, as we observe National Police Week, I am introducing the TRACER Act, which will require the Department of Homeland Security to share information regarding potential terrorism risks with law enforcement at the local level. We have the best law enforcement in the world, and by encouraging them to work together, they will become an even stronger force against the evils of terrorism.”
Rutherford’s press release notes that in October 2015 the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) was incarcerating nearly 350 individuals with convictions linked to international terror groups. The BOP shared that between 2015-2020, 112 inmates with convictions related to international terrorism will be released, and another 100 will follow between 2021 and 2030.
This legislation passed the House Homeland Security Committee by voice vote and has the support of one cosponsor — Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX).
Of Note: A fusion center serves as a focal point 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.
Media:
Summary by Eric Revell
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