LEE COUNTY, Fla. - Local law enforcement agencies are teaming up to fight crime. Their weapon is information.

Consider the Region 6 Fusion Center a one stop shopping for information. "Simply the ability to exchange information amongst those agencies who can use it to prevent or resolve cases," said Collier County Sheriff Kevin Rambosk.

More than a dozen agencies in ten southwest Florida counties are now able to receive and share data more effectively.

That's now made possible from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement's headquarters in Fort Myers.

Officials transfer important information from one agency to another about crimes, terrorism and disasters.

"This will move us light years ahead and enable our members to follow up on their cases both in our region but hook to the other seven fusion centers in the state of florida and then remainder the 72 other centers throughout the United States," said Sheriff Rambosk.

"If something was going to happen in the 10 counties of southwest Florida, we were ahead of the curve and we could push that information out to our public safety responders," said Fusion Center Director Tom Storrar.

For FBI Special Agent Steven Ibison it's a step in the right direction to protecting the community and the country.

"As we learned from 911, we have to use all our tools available to us, that includes the uniformed police officer on the street up to the FBI," he said.