The El Paso Intelligence Center (EPIC) is an all threats center with a focus on the Western Hemisphere, and a particular emphasis on the Southwest border, that leverages the authorities and expertise of its partners to deliver informed intelligence.
EPIC has grown from an environment consisting of three law enforcement (LE) agencies to what is now, a center comprised of over 20 agencies who share a common quest: identify threats to the Nation, with an emphasis on the Southwest border. EPIC offers tactical, operational and strategic intelligence support to Federal, State, local, tribal, and international law enforcement organizations. The center provides access to LE systems with the opportunity to collaborate daily through exchanges with LE analysts and operators, as well as routine engagement with our Federal, State, local, tribal, and international partners. The key to EPIC’s success is a culture that transcends parochialism. EPIC is a team approach. Collectively, we deter threats and protect our nation.
For many years, state, local, and Federal law enforcement entities sought a drug pointer system that would allow them to determine if other law enforcement organizations were investigating the same drug target. The DEA was designated by the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) in 1992 to take the lead in developing such a system to assist federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies investigating drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) and to enhance officer safety by preventing duplicate investigations. Recognizing that the development of this system would require a truly cooperative effort, the DEA drew from the experience of state and local agencies to make certain that not only were their concerns addressed, but that they had unrestricted input and involvement in the pointer systems’ development. Representatives from 19 states and 24 law enforcement organizations formed a Project Steering Committee and six working groups that developed the conceptual blueprint for the National Drug Pointer Index (NDPIX).
NDPIX became operational across the United States in October 1997. The National Law Enforcement Telecommunications System (NLETS)—a familiar, fast, and effective network that reaches into almost every police entity in the United States—is the backbone for the NDPIX. Participating agencies are required to submit active case targeting information to NDPIX in order to receive pointer information from the NDPIX. The greater the number of data elements entered, the greater the likelihood of identifying possible matches. Designed to be a true pointer system rather than an intelligence system, NDPIX serves as a "switchboard" that provides a vehicle for timely notification of common investigative targets. The actual case information is shared only when collaborative contact is made between the officers/agents who have been linked by their common NDPIX target.
The web version of NDPIX (WebNDPIX) became fully operational in September 2008 with these features:
- NDPIX will remain unchanged for non-DEA participants and remains a viable NVPS participant system option for other federal, state, local, and tribal LEAs.
- WebNDPIX modifies the methodology of data input; message trafficking; transmission of collaboration documentation; and management/regulatory oversight for DEA NDPIX users.
- Automatically adds new records to NDPIX (w/connectivity to NVPS) from CAST and NADDIS (202)
- Allows for the exclusion of targets at the discretion of field management
- Transmits new records, hits, partial and pending records, pending purges, records deletions and extensions, directly to field investigative and supervisory personnel
- Enables investigators and field supervisory personnel document collaboration based on hits directly from a Firebird email hyperlink in the WebNDPIX log
Law enforcement and emergency response personnel face challenges daily when responding to public safety incidents. Rapid and informed decisions are critical to preserving life and property. NLETS recognizes the importance of getting information to the right people as quickly as possible. NLETS is an action-oriented organization that offers states progressive solutions to meeting their information and communication needs.
NDPIX Mission Statement
- NDPIX provides participating State, Local, and Federal Law Enforcement Agencies with an automated response capability to determine if a current drug investigative target is under active investigation by any other participating agency.
DEA’s Role
- Responsible for the administrative, security, and program management oversight of the National Drug Pointer Index, an information sharing system for Federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies on active drug investigative targets.