Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTTF) are multi-agency teams or groups of people from U.S. law enforcement and intelligence agencies who work together on a task or operation under the guise of combating international and domestic terrorism. JTTFs are run by the FBI, and are the primary way the FBI conducts its counterterrorism intelligence operations.
An FBI cart transporting members of a JTTF in Los Angeles. Source: Local photographer.
According to the FBI’s website, the first JTTF was established in 1980 in the city of New York, and over 600 state, local and federal agencies participate in JTTFs, including the U.S. military and, at one point at least, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Per the FBI, there is at least one JTTF in each of the FBI’s 56 field offices, “with hundreds of participating state, local, and federal agencies.” See Joint Terrorism Task Forces — FBI (retrieved August 11, 2023).
As directed by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), a JTTF is also part of the the reporting, analysis, and investigation process for Suspicious Activity Report (SAR).
At LAPD, a SAR may be sent on to the JTTF for further scrutiny or to start an investigation - this is evidenced from SARs that were obtained by the Stop LAPD Spying Coalition in a PRA filed with LAPD on April 9th, 2012.
Image description: A group of white men stand in a circle. They are wearing tool belts, and the backs of their shirts/vests identify them as “POLICE SLED,” “FEDERAL AGENT,” and “JTTF.” Image source: Naval Criminal Investigative Service