FBI Dumps Information-Sharing Software

Information Management Journal, Mar/Apr 2005

A $170 million computer overhaul intended to give Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents and analysts an instantaneous, paperless way to exchange information about criminal cases and terrorism threats is going back to the drawing board and may cost U.S. taxpayers even more. The FBI said the system, known as Virtual Case File, is seriously deficient and will be largely abandoned before it is launched.

The database project was supposed to give the FBI's nearly 12,000 agents around the country instant access to the agency's databases, allowing speedier investigations and better integration of information within the bureau and with other intelligence agencies that must coordinate national security matters. It was meant to provide ways for FBI agents, analysts, and other personnel worldwide to share information about investigations, including terrorism cases, without using paper or resorting to time-consuming document scanning. Under the current system, for example, all FBI terrorism documents are loaded into a central database each night.

The project has been riddled with technical and planning problems due largely to the expensive customized software it relies on, said FBI officials. The Virtual Case File software was supposed to be custom built to maximize the safety and security of information. But the custom design proved expensive, even as software companies have developed comparable off-the-shelf software for a fraction of the cost.

Experts say the collapse of the Virtual Case File project, part of a more than $500-million information technology upgrade effort at the FBI, is a major blow for the agency, which has been struggling to redeem its image since the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Virtual Case File was to be the final piece of the overhaul of antiquated FBI computers called the Trilogy Project. The first two phases of the project - deployment of a high-speed, secure FBI computer network and 30,000 new desktop computers - have been completed.

The agency also has launched a separate investigative data warehouse, which collects and analyzes counter-terrorism data from a variety of sources, including investigative reports from other intelligence and law enforcement agencies.

A top FBI official said the bureau "presumably" would ask Congress for millions of dollars more to seek bids from companies to develop another automated information-sharing system, USA Today reported.