Whitehouse Announces $5.35 Million for New England Law Enforcement Information Sharing Program
Whitehouse has long led the Senate effort to ensure full funding for the national RISS program in annual government funding bills
Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) today announced $5,349,150 in federal funding for the New England State Police Information Network, the regional law enforcement program that assists law enforcement in Rhode Island by facilitating secure information sharing, supporting criminal investigations, and promoting officer and public safety.
“Rhode Island State Police and local law enforcement rely on information-sharing programs to resolve complex criminal cases and coordinate with partner agencies throughout the Northeast. I’m very pleased to help secure this full funding for the New England State Police Information Network to support police officers’ efforts to keep Rhode Islanders safe and get drugs, weapons, and dirty money off of our streets,” said Whitehouse, a senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The nationwide Regional Information Sharing Systems (RISS) Program assists law enforcement agencies across the country with resolving criminal investigations and ensuring officer and public safety. Agencies rely on RISS for information and intelligence sharing, officer safety event deconfliction, and critical investigative support services—such as analytical tools, specialized equipment, and training.
Over the last ten years, officers across the nation using RISS’s services and resources reported more than $2.3 billion in narcotics, property, and currency seizures (a 650 percent return on federal investment) and arrested more than 25,000 offenders. More than 555,000 undercover operations, buy-busts, and other law enforcement events have been identified through the RISS Officer Safety Event Deconfliction Systems, further helping to avoid potential police tragedies.
The New England State Police Information Network (NESPIN) serves approximately 1,015 law enforcement agencies in Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and Massachusetts. NESPIN supports state and local efforts throughout New England combatting organized and violent crime, gang activity, drug activity, hate crimes, terrorism and violent extremism, human trafficking, identity theft, and cybercrime.
“The New England State Police Information Network is a key partner in the sharing of information across all levels of law enforcement, contributing to public and officer safety. The RI State Fusion Center works hand in hand with NESPIN to identify and share criminal intelligence, combat crime and deconflict law enforcement activity across the State, Region, and Country. NESPIN’s expertise, capabilities, equipment, and services secure them as a key partner to all law enforcement agencies,” said Colonel Darnell Weaver, Superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police.
Since 2009, Whitehouse has led the Senate effort to ensure optimal and stable funding for the RISS Program. In May, Whitehouse and Senator John Hoeven (R-ND) renewed their effort in a letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies requesting full funding for RISS in the FY2025 appropriations measure, and requesting that the subcommittee include a cap on administrative cuts to the program. Whitehouse and Hoeven were joined by 29 senators on the bipartisan letter.
