Wireless Law Enforcement
To ensure that government entities can communicate smoothly during normal procedures and emergency operations, the departments of Justice, Homeland Security, and Treasury are collaborating to launch the Integrated Wireless Networks (IWN).
The $2.5 billion plan is expected to last 15 years, but it is still unclear what shape the technology will take. According to employees at the departments’ joint program office, it is likely that a performance-based contract will be awarded to allow a main contractor to work on IWN for up to 15 years.
IWN is expected to serve upwards of 80,000 law enforcement officials within the three departments in addition to state and local law enforcement agencies, comprising up to 2,500 locations across the country.
The system would also have to be compatible with pre-existing technology and narrowband equipment while supporting newer systems like Voice over Internet Protocol and multimedia streaming.
The government intends to award contracts to up to three vendors to design the initial location, but has the option of using a single contractor for the entire project.
In October, Daren Bezdek of INPUT, an IT consulting firm, said IWN is one of three government programs with the greatest potential for subcontracting opportunities, especially in the areas of software, switches, and security measures. However, he noted that “cutting-edge products deployed at the beginning of the program will need to be replaced, frequently, during the performance period.”
Abstracted by the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center(NLECTC) from CIO Today (12/20/05).