FBI computer upgrade encounters serious hurdle, delayed until 2011

By Tony Romm - 03/19/10 12:34 PM ET

An agency-wide upgrade of the FBI's archaic computer system will not meet its targeted Fall deadline, according to reports.

The planned overhaul of that system, which includes key fixes to the FBI's crime and counter-terrorism databases, now may not be complete until at least the beginning of 2011, congressional aides told The New York Times on Thursday.

Consequently, early estimates show the latest round of setbacks to the proposed Sentinel case-management system could cost lawmakers another $30 million in the coming year, on top of the $305 million they already appropriated to the project in 2006, according to the Times.

But that preliminary price tag has some members of Congress nearly apoplectic. Among them is Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), who told the newspaper on Thursday the situation was "terribly frustrating," given the time and money the federal government has so far committed to the overhaul.

Chiefly motivating the FBI's computer upgrade are criticisms dating back to Sept. 11, 2001 that the law enforcement agency's information-sharing tools are too inadequate to respond effectively to developing threats.

A later terror plot on Christmas Day 2009 revealed many of those network inconsistencies remained, as officials across bureaus and agencies failed to share gathered intelligence about Flight 253 bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab.

Still, the upgrade seemed on track, until FBI chief Robert Mueller told lawmakers at an appropriations hearing that the overhaul had experienced minor problems. However, his statements piqued Grassley and other members of Congress, who suspected a more serious delay was afoot.

He and Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) thus sent a letter to Mueller on Wednesday, obtained Friday by The Hill. In it, the lawmakers press the FBI administrator to answer key questions about the nature of the system delay, its proposed cost and likely duration.

"We remain very concerned about the ability of the FBI to complete the Sentinel project on time and budget," they wrote. "We have not forgotten the FBI's previous attempt at creating an automated case management system, the failed Virtual Case File System, which cost federal taxpayers over $100 million and ultimately finished with no workable system."

"Given the current financial condition of the U.S. government and the increasing federal deficits, it is imperative the FBI remain committed to finishing Sentinel on time and on budget," they wrote, asking for more information no later than March 31.