Earlier this week, news broke that the Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had concluded Cook County wasted a $45 million dollar grant to install cameras in 256 police cars across the Chicagoland region. The system, known as Project Shield, was suppose to give a central command center the ability to view patrol car circumstances from afar. Report findings included: poorly designed equipment that failed to work, sloppy record keeping, and untrained operators. Links below provide more information on the situation:
- Chicago Tribune article from January 9, 2012
- DHS Inspector General's "Spotlight" Report
- DHS Inspector General Full Report: Homeland Security Grant Program Funds Awarded for Project Shield (PDF, 25 pages - 3.06 MB)
Comment: This is the classic good idea gone bad. The project goal was clearly worthwhile, but with the wrong people in the mix the vision of what the Geospatial Revolution could do for the law enforcement community in Cook County got side tracked. Looks like they need an EPC!
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