Homeland Security kicks off final strategy dialogue

The Homeland Security Department this week launched its third and final online dialogue with the public on long-term strategic plans, following what one department official described as "tremendous participation" in a forum that ended earlier this month.

The last dialogue went live on Monday, providing the public with access through a Web portal to final proposals for how Homeland Security should address challenges. The department started the three-phase Web 2.0 initiative in August as part of the Quadrennial Homeland Security Review that will guide its strategic planning for the next four years.

"For this third dialogue, we want to encourage a sustained level of engagement by the public and stakeholders" in homeland security efforts, said Alan Cohn, deputy assistant secretary for policy at DHS. The department targeted first responders and state and local government officials, as well as members of the general public, to participate in the discussions.

Homeland Security reported more than 15,000 hits and 11,000 unique visitors during the second online dialogue, which ran from Aug. 31 to Sept. 6 and provided access to draft versions of the policy proposals. About 2,500 visitors -- or 20 percent -- registered on the site to submit more than 400 unique ideas, 2,000 comments and 4,000 ratings of suggested policies and plans.

During the first online dialogue, which ran from Aug. 3-9 and focused primarily on broad visions and goals defined by the review's study groups, Homeland Security reported 8,000 unique visitors to the site -- 1,000 of whom registered and provided 250 unique ideas and 2,500 policy ratings.

Additional content on the Web site helped spark increased participation in the second dialogue, Cohn said, noting that was "when ideas really took shape." He added that modifications to make the site more user-friendly had an effect, too. "We learned to keep the site simple, easy and accessible, which [allowed for] more rich discussions," he said.

Archives of the first two dialogues are available at homelandsecuritydialogue.org/dialogue1 and homelandsecuritydialogue.org/dialogue2. DHS will incorporate feedback from the third dialogue, which ends Oct. 4, into a final report that will be submitted to Congress on Dec. 31.

"The key is to make the report real -- not so much as a free standing item, but rather a vehicle for decision-making," Cohn said.