**U.S. Department of Justice**

**Law Enforcement Wireless Communications**

**FY 2008 Performance Budget**

**Congressional Submission**

# Table of Contents

**I. Overview ....1**

**II. Summary of Program Changes ......5**

**III. Appropriations Language and Analysis of Appropriations Language
.6**

IV\. Decision Unit Justification 7

A. Law Enforcement Wireless Communications (LEWC) 7

1\. Program Description

2\. Performance Tables

3\. Performance, Resources, and Strategies

V. Exhibits 11

A.  Organizational Chart

B.  Summary of Requirements

C.  Program Increases by Decision Unit N/A

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D.  Resources by DOJ Strategic Goal/Objective

E.  Justification for Base Adjustments

F.  Crosswalk of 2006 Availability

G.  Crosswalk of 2007 Availability

H.  Summary of Reimbursable Resources

I.  Detail of Permanent Positions by Category

J.  Financial Analysis of Program Increases/Offsets N/A

K.  Summary of Requirements by Grade

L.  Summary of Requirements by Object Class

> M. Status of Congressionally Requested Studies, Reports, and
> Evaluations.....N/A

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  **I. Overview for Law Enforcement Wireless Communications (LEWC)
  \[Formerly Narrowband\] Appropriations**

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For FY 2008, the Wireless Management Office (WMO) requests 19 positions,
19 FTE, and \$81,353,000 in two-year funding to support maintenance,
consolidation, enhancement and replacement of tactical radio
communication systems for the ATF, DEA, FBI, OIG and USMS. This
represents a current services level budget based on a FY 2007
anticipated appropriation. The budget request for FY 2008 is an IT
budget request as the Department's radio systems are Information
Technology projects. Beginning in FY 2007, electronic copies of the
Department of Justice's congressional budget justifications and Capital
Asset Plan and Business Case exhibits can be viewed or downloaded from
the Internet using the Internet address:
<http://www.usdoj.gov/jmd/2008justification/>.

The mission of the WMO is to provide secure, interoperable and reliable
wireless communication services required by the Department of Justice
(DOJ) law enforcement components (ATF, DEA, FBI, FBOP, OIG, and USMS)
and all federal Agents and Officers engaged in the conduct of law
enforcement, protective services, homeland defense and disaster response
missions. The WMO manages the Departmental Wireless program in
partnership with the Departments of Homeland Security and the Treasury
(DHS & Treasury) and coordinates its efforts with state and local law
enforcement agencies.

Having a unique combination of oversight and system implementation
roles, the WMO has demonstrated the potential to maximize scarce fiscal
and radio spectrum resources through consolidation of legacy
communication systems; implementation of new multi-agency systems, such
as the Integrated Wireless Network (IWN) system deployed in the State of
Washington; and deployment of multi-agency interoperability solutions,
such as those deployed through our 25 Cities Program. These efforts have
yielded noteworthy returns on investment. For example, the Washington
State IWN system allowed DOJ to reduce the amount of radio spectrum it
uses by up to 50%; reduce radio transmission sites by 40%; eliminate
duplicate systems; and consolidate infrastructure to expand coverage
beyond any single agency's current capability. The consolidated
acquisitions of radio equipment have resulted in discounts of up to 36%.
Since consolidation of the U.S. Marshals onto existing FBI radio systems
beginning in 2002, there has been an operations and maintenance (O&M)
cost savings of more than \$3M.

**[IWN Program Drivers]{.underline}**

The overarching mission of the WMO is to fulfill the tactical
communication requirements of the agents working in the field. Now more
than ever, federal law enforcement agents need the ability to securely
and reliably communicate with their agency counterparts, as well as with
fellow agents and officers from other federal, state and local law
enforcement agencies. Furthermore, to address the increasing
sophistication of criminals and terrorists, DOJ agents require
technology enhanced communication tools (e.g. portable devices that
transmit voice, pictures, video, maps, and enable queries of criminal
databases) for conducting surveillance, investigating crime and making
arrests, all of which help law enforcement to save lives, protect their
own and keep dangerous criminals off the streets. Finally, in order to
collaborate with all law enforcement and homeland security partners, DOJ
components require a capability to interoperate across law enforcement,
counter-terrorism and public safety communities.

DOJ's wireless program must replace the antiquated and deficient radio
systems with modern, flexible and standards compliant communication
tools. Most of the Department's legacy systems are now over 15 years old
and are approaching the end of useful life. Some of these communication
systems have failed during operations thereby inhibiting the missions,
and also jeopardizing the safety of those agents. As an example, the DEA
reports that operations are being compromised because radios, operating
on its legacy system, lose encryption codes forcing the agents to break
from surveillance and find a secluded location to re-code the radio.

The O&M costs on the legacy systems continue to escalate, as do costs
needed to repair failing systems. Furthermore, legacy systems cannot
leverage the power of the Internet Protocol; cannot comply with the
National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA)
"narrowband" mandate[^1]; and cannot facilitate implementation of the
emerging standards or technologies and strategies for interoperability
required by federal law enforcement agents.

**[IWN Program Achievements]{.underline}**

The WMO understands the Department's law enforcement operational
requirements and has been investing available funds into deploying a
consolidated and interoperable network with infrastructure capable of
meeting immediate and emerging communication needs for the foreseeable
future. The WMO has successfully deployed an initial version of the IWN
in Washington State. At present, the system supports the daily
operations of over 500 federal law enforcement agents and officers and
is enabling secure, reliable and interoperable communication services.
DOJ law enforcement components plan to provide this type of capability
to all field offices as the IWN is deployed across the nation. In
addition to DOJ components, agencies such as the Department of Commerce,
Homeland Security, Interior and Treasury, as well as the Social Security
Administration are utilizing this system. Some notable attributes of the
system include:

-   The consolidated coverage approach used by the WMO allowed
    deployment of fewer sites than those of the previous systems while
    still providing coverage equal to or greater than the previous
    systems. This effort has resulted in the reduction of lease expenses
    by more than \$120K annually.

-   Trunking technology reduced the number of frequencies required to
    support users by 65% over the previous environment.

-   The consolidated infrastructure and trunking technology provide
    coverage beyond any single component's coverage from their previous
    systems. It also allows for large volume system usage without the
    temporary borrowing of frequencies from other components.

-   O&M costs overall, and most specifically for each component, have
    been reduced through the use of a combined technician pool and
    shared cost agreement.

The Washington State IWN system has been shown to improve law
enforcement operations. An example of this is Operation Falcon II which
began in April 2006. In the Seattle area, seven federal agencies (ATF,
DEA, FBI, ICE, SSA-OIG, WA-OIG, and USMS) were operating together on the
same radio system during this multi-agency fugitive round-up. The IWN
was patched to the King County and Snohomish County Radio Systems. The
end result was over 100 officers from 17federal, state, and local
agencies representing three different counties that were seamlessly
operating and communicating with central dispatch and command. Over 170
arrests were made in one week as a result of this operation. Some other
successful operations in the Northwest supported by the Wireless program
and IWN include:

> *Operation Community Shield*
>
> ◦ ICE, USMS, State and Local PDs; Gang takedown
>
> *Operation Kitsap Cleanup*
>
> ◦ ATF, OIG, USMS, ICE, NCIS, Corrections, State/ Local PDs; IWN
> Interoperability; 50 + arrests
>
> *Terrorist Escort*
>
> ◦ Ahmed Ressam; High Visibility/Nationwide news coverage; ATF, FBI,
> USMS, State/ Local PDs

DOJ's law enforcement components have identified and ranked in order of
priority five critical areas of the country in which the IWN is to be
implemented next. These priority implementation areas are: Florida,
California, a section of the Midwest bounded by the cities of Chicago,
St. Louis and Detroit, the National Capital region and southern half of
Texas (see figure 1). (NOTE: The States of Louisiana, Mississippi,
Alabama and Arkansas are being covered by a joint effort initiated in
response to severe damage caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in
2005.)

Figure 1

DOJ IWN Implementation Priorities and Existing Wireless Networks

![](media/image1.png){width="5.249305555555556in"
height="4.170833333333333in"}

Cognizant of the multi-year time frame needed to fully implement IWN
services, the WMO has been addressing immediate interoperable
communication needs in 25 high-risk metropolitan U.S. cities (see figure
2). As an extension of the IWN program, the 25 Cities Program has
deployed interoperability solutions that have been used by federal,
state and local agencies on a daily basis. These solutions were used
during national events and emergencies such as the 2006 Super Bowl in
Detroit, MI, and the National Labor Relations Board hostage incident of
2006 in Phoenix, AZ. In implementing this program, the Department
leveraged federal resources in many of the metropolitan areas to deploy
inter-system communications between federal agencies. Additionally, DOJ
worked with key agencies to facilitate federal, state, and local
connectivity.

The WMO has identified additional opportunities to implement
interoperable solutions in several major cities, including, but not
limited to, Richmond, VA, Las Vegas, NV, and Milwaukee, WI.

Figure 2

DOJ 25 Cities Program

![](media/image2.png){width="4.996527777777778in"
height="2.852777777777778in"}

Through the IWN acquisition, the WMO has also positioned the Department
to be able to implement the IWN at an accelerated pace as funding
becomes available. In March 2007, the WMO will select a systems
integrator to implement IWN services under a performance based contract.
This IWN contracting process has succeeded in stimulating maximum
competition for goods and services from a variety of vendors from the IT
industry, as well as obtaining creative technical and business
proposals.

**Spectrum Relocation - \$800,000**

In December 2004, the Congress passed and the President signed the
Commercial Spectrum Enhancement Act (CSEA, Title II of P.L. 108-494),
creating the Spectrum Relocation Fund (SRF) to streamline the relocation
of Federal systems from certain spectrum bands to accommodate commercial
use by facilitating reimbursement to affected agencies of relocation
costs. The Federal Communications Commission has auctioned licenses for
reallocated Federal spectrum, which will facilitate the provision of
Advanced Wireless Services to consumers. Funds are made available to
agencies in fiscal year 2007 for relocation of communications systems
operating on the affected spectrum. These funds are mandatory and will
remain available until expended, and agencies will return to the SRF any
amounts received in excess of actual relocation costs.

Explanation of FY 2008 Request

The FY 2008 request for the DOJ Law Enforcement Wireless Communications
program is comprised of: 1) continued O&M of DOJ component's existing
legacy and IWN systems; 2) a small program management office to
coordinate law enforcement wireless communications across the Department
and other government entities; 3) law enforcement wireless communication
enhancements and modernization targeted to address priority needs.
Requested resources will be allocated as follows:

Legacy and IWN O&M \$60M

Program Management \$ 5M

Modernizing Law Enforcement Wireless Communications [\$16M]{.underline}

**Total \$81M**

The O&M and program management costs will maintain current communication
services. O&M costs are primarily related to site leases, communication
services linking the existing 3,000+ radio sites, fees to NTIA for radio
spectrum licenses, and maintenance contracts on existing equipment.
Program management costs pay the salaries and expenses of the 19 federal
staff in the WMO, as well as support contractors used to provide
specialty skills to the program (security, spectrum, engineering, etc.).

Funds for modernizing law enforcement wireless communications will be
focused on implementing new, consolidated wireless services in the five
priority areas noted in figure one as well as expanding the Washington
State system. Approximately 52% of these funds will be used to buy
radios and related network equipment (routers, firewalls, etc.), and the
remainder will be used to pay for services needed to implement the
equipment.

FY 2008 system investments represent a small percentage of the funds
needed to meet DOJ field agents' communication needs for fighting crime
and preventing terrorism. Based on proposals received through the IWN
acquisition, over \$1 billion is needed over the next five to seven
years to deploy an IWN capability to satisfy minimum mission
requirements. If funds are not made available, this unique opportunity
will be lost to provide a cost-effective tool essential to the nation's
fight against terrorism and violent crime. Without a Department-wide
wireless communications program, DOJ components are likely to resort to
ad hoc communication services for their agents. Consequently, it will be
difficult to address federal interoperability and to demonstrate
innovative uses of technology to meet federal communication needs.

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  **II. Summary of Program Changes**

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There are no program changes for 2008.

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  **III. Appropriations Language and Analysis of Appropriations
  Language**

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**Appropriations Language**[^2]

*[For the costs of developing and implementing a nation-wide Integrated
Wireless Network supporting federal law enforcement and homeland
security missions, and for the costs of operation and maintenance of
existing Land Mobile Radio legacy systems, \$81,353,000, to remain
available until September 30, 2009: Provided, That the Attorney General
shall transfer to this account all funds made available to the
Department of Justice for the purchase of portable and mobile radios:
Provided further, That any transfer made under the preceding proviso
shall be subject to section 605 of this Act.]{.underline}*

**Analysis of Appropriations Language**

-   Narrowband communication refers to the act of reducing the amount of
    spectrum utilized for radio communications. The IWN not only reduces
    the amount of spectrum utilized for radio communications, but also
    enables interoperable communications between Federal, State and
    local law enforcement agencies, and other communications
    functionality needed by DOJ agents.

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  **IV. Decision Unit Justification**

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**A. Law Enforcement Wireless Communication (LEWC) \[Formerly
Narrowband\]**

  ---------------------------------- ----------- ---------- --------------
  Law Enforcement Wireless           Perm. Pos.  FTE        Amount
  Communication (LEWC) \[Formerly                           
  Narrowband\] TOTAL (thousands)                            

  2006 Enacted w/Rescissions and     19          16         88,851
  Supplemental                                              

  2007 Estimate                      19          19         81,180

  Adjustments to Base and Technical                         173
  Adjustments                                               

  2008 Current Services                                     81,353

  2008 Program Increases             0           0          0

  2008 Request                       19          19         81,353

  Total Change 2007-2008             0           0          0
  ---------------------------------- ----------- ---------- --------------

1\. Program Description

The Law Enforcement Wireless Communications (LEWC) account is an
appropriation effectively serving a singular purpose: the provision of
tactical communication services to the Department's law enforcement
components. This includes funding component's legacy system O&M
requirements and addressing component communications needs as they
arise. Because of this singular purpose, there is no decision-unit
structure. The WMO is increasingly under pressure to address component
tactical communications requirements because of the increasing
deterioration of the legacy systems.

Supporting Strategic Goals

[Strategic Plan 2003-2008:]{.underline}

Strategic Goal 1. Prevent Terrorism and Promote the Nation's Security.

-   *Strategic Objective 1.1. Prevent, disrupt, and defeat terrorist
    operations before they occur*. Provide secure, tactical,
    interoperable communication capabilities to be used by front-line
    agents (FBI, ATF, DEA, USMS, Customs, Border Patrol), and by Joint
    Terrorism Task Forces (JTTF) (e.g. FBI-NYPD).

Strategic Goal 2. Enforce Federal Laws and Represent the Rights and
Interests of the American People.

-   *Strategic Objective 2.2. Reduce the threat, trafficking, use and
    related violence of illegal drugs.* Provide reliable tactical
    communications capabilities among the Department's agents and
    officers, including those on Task Forces and by those participating
    in border enforcement operations.

Strategic Goal 3. Assist State, Local, and Tribal Efforts to Prevent or
Reduce Crime and Violence.

-   *Strategic Objective 3.1. Improve the crime fighting and criminal
    justice system capabilities of state, tribal, and local
    governments.* Providing for as-needed communications
    interoperability with our State and local partners. In order to
    achieve this most effectively and efficiently, the WMO is closely
    coordinating its 25-Cities Interoperability Project for the benefit
    of programs such as Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). Doing so
    ensures that the Department's work is in lock step with State and
    local activities that have been utilizing federal grants to
    implement their own communications networks, and vice-versa.

Strategic Goal 4. Ensure the Fair and Efficient Operation of the Federal
Justice System.

-   *Strategic Objective 4.1. Protect judges, witnesses, and other
    participants in Federal proceedings, and ensure the appearance of
    criminal defendants for judicial proceedings or confinement; and*

-   *Strategic Objective 4.2. Ensure the apprehension of fugitives from
    justice.* Wireless communications are used for logistical and safety
    purposes by those transporting defendants to and from judicial
    proceedings; by those protecting judges and the physical courthouse
    facilities; and by agents in pursuit of fugitives.

[The Department's IT Strategic Plan (July 2002)]{.underline}:

-   Development of Department-wide \[wireless\] infrastructure serving
    as the Department's core tactical communications infrastructure;

-   Participation in E-Gov Initiatives; and

-   Implementing Common Solutions.

[Addresses specific elements of the President's Strategy for Homeland
Security]{.underline}:

-   Integrates information sharing across the Federal government;

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-   Improves public safety emergency communications;

-   Improves cooperation in response to attacks

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-   Supports first responders; Enables an effective partnership with
    State and local governments (e.g., communications interoperability)
    and the private sector (e.g., market development of emerging
    communications technologies meeting functional requirements)

Aligned with the E-Gov goals of the President's Management Agenda

-   This joint effort provides for cost-avoidance opportunities by
    leveraging bulk buy procurements and sharing infrastructure that
    otherwise might not be realized.

**Strategies for Achieving Efficiencies and Economies**

There have been several lessons learned from the Northwest deployment
which will be replicated as the WMO continues to modernize wireless
communication systems:

1\) There are many opportunities to leverage or share the cost of State
and local public safety organizations investments in communications
infrastructure.

2\) Bulk buy cost negotiations accrue substantial savings for equipment
commonly used by all agencies.

3\) Emerging technologies will offer the government real alternatives to
lower the unit cost of wireless communications while better meeting the
mission needs of the field agents.

![](media/image3.wmf)

![](media/image4.wmf)

1.  The USMS consolidation onto FBI systems is a phased consolidation
    approach; this has caused a deviation from the target to the actual.

2.  St. Louis has not approved the WMO proposed solution as of this
    submission.

3.  The Washington, D.C. solution has been delayed because of
    multi-component coordinating issues and the St. Louis solution has
    not been officially vetted.

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  **V. Exhibits**

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[^1]: \"In 1995 The National Telecommunications and Information
    Administration (NTIA) issued a mandate to all Federal Agencies to
    adopt new narrowband technologies that allow greater spectrum
    efficiency for all land mobile radios (LMRs) used by the federal
    government. This was done to allow for more efficient use of
    existing radio spectrum as demands on Federal communications expand
    causing increased congestion within the VHF and UHF spectrum
    bands.\"

[^2]: The FY 2008 President's Budget uses the FY 2007 President's Budget
    language as a base so all language is presented as new.