Attorney General John Ashcroft said anti-terrorism task forces in each U.S. attorney's district should hold training sessions for state and local leaders on how to identify foreign intelligence and the best ways of sharing that information.
Speaking at the Anti-Terrorism Coordination Conference, Ashcroft ordered all U.S. attorneys to develop protocols on sharing intelligence reports and other information among federal, state and local officials.
He said the communication protocols should be developed by December 1 and the training sessions should be convened by January 31.
The attorney general said he would make available $9.3 million to support state and local participation in the anti-terrorism task forces in each U.S. attorney's district. That money, which would come to about $100,000 for each task force, could be used to hire an intelligence analyst or purchase communications equipment, he said.
"This intelligence-gathering initiative only serves to underscore the obvious: September 11 changed us and changed the way we do our jobs," Ashcroft said.