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New systems to
help FBI and
L.A. analyze, share intel
By Wilson P. Dizard III
10/19/07
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The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Los
Angeles County have chosen different approaches to obtaining systems for
handling criminal, gang and terrorist data.
The bureau, following up on a concept of operations issued in the spring
about how to process and disseminate gang information via the National
Gang Intelligence Center (NGIC), chose systems integrator SRA
International to develop a new system. SRA received a contract valued at
$16 million over five years if the bureau exercises all options, the
company said.
SRA plans to use commercial and newly developed software to create an
integrated system that the FBI has specified in great detail via its
acquisition requirements.
Across the country from the bureau’s Washington headquarters, Los
Angeles County plans to deploy the Coplink system from Knowledge
Computing Corp. Coplink comprises several modules that can be combined
to meet agencies’ varying needs, and hundreds of law enforcement
agencies nationwide have already fielded it to process intelligence
about crimes,.
The county’s contract calls for a total of $4.5 million in payments to
cover all modules of the analysis and decision support system in
addition to training and support for three years.
Coplink complies with the Global Justice Data Exchange Model. That
format for data tagging and exchange — now required for all new
federally funded state and local police IT systems — facilitates
information sharing among law enforcement agencies.
LA County’s Coplink implementation will be able to seamlessly share
information with other Coplink implementations in San Diego and Orange
County and many other, smaller police departments statewide. KCC already
has fielded Coplink to more than 600 jurisdictions nationwide, including
four of the five largest cities in the country, the company said.
SRA’s work will involve providing database support to NGIC, states a
detailed concept of operations the bureau provided to vendors.
The NGIC case tracker database won’t function — as the bureau’s
ill-fated Virtual Case File was intended to — as a full-fledged
investigative case management system, but it will include many unique
features the bureau has specified.
SRA will provide services including systems design, development and
integration; data collection and management; Web development; and
integration of commercial and government products, the company said.
The resulting system is intended to integrate NGIC's disparate
components while improving connectivity, knowledge management and
information sharing of gang-related intelligence, SRA said.
The procurement documents for the upgrades to NGIC specified that the
system include a capability to use Gangnet, which is an SRA law
enforcement intelligence analysis tool. Gangnet traces its history back
to a relational database system initially called Cal/Gang, which
provided gang data analysis capabilities for California police forces
starting in the 1990s.
Coplink extracts knowledge embedded in multiple databases with advanced
analytical tools and visualization methods to provide investigative
leads to its users.
Both Coplink and the FBI system allow law enforcement officers to
establish links among criminals and their characteristic crimes,
methods, associates, weapons, drugs, vehicles and locales.
Los Angeles Country will field Coplink through Southern California’s
Regional Terrorism Information and Integration System consortium.
Funding for the technology projects could vary with fluctuations in the
agencies’ budgets, among other factors.
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