In the wake of 9/11 , the U.S. government radically rethought how it ensures the safety of its citizens. From 2003 to 2011, Congress poured money into the newly created Department of Homeland Security, which grew from a handful of employees to thousands upon thousands. The boost in homeland security spending was aimed at aggressively preventing every possible terrorist threat.

A forgotten cell phone in a mall food court led to a visit from the FBI.

Despite a clear mandate from Congress and hundreds of millions spent on personnel and technology, the Office of Intelligence and Analysis has fallen far short of its mission and done little to improve the accuracy and quality of the nation’s intelligence data, according to an examination by the Center for Investigative Reporting.

Learn about fusion centers, intelligence-sharing offices run by the Department of Homeland Security, and chart where the country’s fusion centers are located, in an interview with Lt. Tom Monahan, director of the Southern Nevada Counter-Terrorism Center.