WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Department of the Interior has awarded a $4.4 million contract to Lockheed Martin for a pilot project
to develop an integrated information technology system to improve Interior’s law enforcement, emergency management and
security operations.
The contract involves a six month pilot of the Incident Management Analysis and Reporting System (IMARS). Upon completion of the pilot, if the vendor has successfully accomplished a baseline configuration of a deployable application meeting Interior’s basic law enforcement needs, the Department will negotiate a contract for future years and implementation to Interior bureaus.
When fully established, IMARS would enable all Interior law enforcement agencies to use a common, Department-wide reporting and records management system that can provide secure, accurate, reliable and timely law enforcement information necessary to more effectively carry out Interior's public safety, homeland security, and resource protection missions.
“IMARS will allow all of our law enforcement officers, including field personnel, to collect, store, analyze and share information across department, federal, state and local levels,” said Larry Parkinson, Interior’s Deputy Assistant Secretary for Law Enforcement and Security. “The system will provide the comprehensive data that is needed to identify problems, recognize trends, prioritize threats, and allocate resources.”
Interior has about 4,000 law enforcement officers -- the federal government's (Executive Branch) third largest police force -- with responsibility for protecting natural, cultural and structural resources on more than 500 million acres of DOI-managed lands. These resources include national icon monuments, dams, national parks, wildlife refuges, recreational areas, and significant portions of the U.S. border.
Interior bureaus with law enforcement responsibilities are the Office of Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Management, the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Reclamation.
IMARS has a central funding source that is leveraged to implement and support a centrally based system. IMARS users from all bureaus will share a centralized data center and centralized service desk. A separate Law Enforcement Network will provide for consistent, standardized management, operational, and technical security controls. The project is governed by a multi-bureau council, the IMARS Governance Council, engaged to ensure greatest efficiency of resources.
IMARS will improve the time, personnel and cost efficiency by automating tasks and information sharing. The system will be available 24 hours a day/7 days a week for recording and maintaining information on law enforcement incidents. Through the elimination of redundant data entry, the need to access multiple systems for information, calling and response delays in use of the telephone and fax, and time and labor involved in the movement of paper, Interior public safety and security operations will be more efficient and less expensive.
The information sharing potential of IMARS will greatly enhance the safety of law enforcement officers and their communities by increasing information available to patrol officers and dispatchers. The system can help to reduce the number of officer injuries or deaths at dispatched locations. By providing more accurate and complete information to officers, IMARS can improve identification and increase apprehension of wanted individuals.
The system also will improve Interior’s ability to prevent, detect and investigate criminal activity, including acts of terrorism and other civil emergencies. IMARS will provide better intelligence to focus security on protection of key assets and critical infrastructure, i.e., the nation’s dams, bridges, and treasured memorials.
The system also can help to ensure the safety of visitors, and through increased information sharing with the public, strengthen the relationships between bureau law enforcement and the communities they serve. Information exchange with other law enforcement agencies will assist Interior’s land management agencies in protecting and enforcing crimes against natural and cultural resources by facilitating the investigation and prosecution of violators. The ability of prosecutors to secure convictions is enhanced through more effective case management and information sharing.
Periodic reports can be generated with ease through the automated system. Daily summaries for supervisors and managers will give them a snapshot view of reportable incidents. Daily, monthly, and annual activity reports will increase communications and common understanding throughout the department. Reports are generated to measure progress, identify needs, and justify requests and expenditures or reimbursements