In a request for information (RFI) released April 6, the Bureau of Investigation at the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s (LADA) office wants to connect with companies that can provide it with “an Evidence Management System solution.” LADA is the largest local prosecutorial office in the United States, per the RFI, and its Bureau of Investigation has a staff of nearly 250 sworn peace officers, “known as District Attorney Investigators (DAIs), who conduct some of the most unique, sensitive, and complex criminal investigations in law enforcement.” Los Angeles County has the most residents — more than 10 million — of any county in the country. Among the takeaways:
- One of the Bureau’s chief functions is offering prosecution support to deputy district attorneys, but it also does many independent investigations of crimes connected to “specialized fraud, political corruption, organized crime and cybercrime” among the relevant areas. These span the county from “Antelope Valley to Long Beach and from Pomona to Malibu” and frequently involve travel outside the jurisdiction. DAIs may seize physical evidence or property; and for this, the Bureau relies on two applications developed in-house — its Property Evidence Tracking System (PETS) and the Automated Records Management System (ARMS), to “manage the lifecycle of evidence and property in its care.” These, however, “are struggling under increased demands” and so the RFI looks to “identify existing evidence management solutions that can replace PETS and work in conjunction with ARMS, the bureau’s case management system.”
- The Bureau is reviewing the market for firms that can deliver a solution on a “single, secure platform” capable of meeting its requirements. The solution must be an existing one, founded on a modern platform that has been “already developed for another law enforcement agency” and can be leveraged by the Bureau. It must be able to be deployed swiftly, without either large-scale modifications or customized software. The system must also be capable of integrating with ARMS and PETS. Needs encompass three functional areas. In evidence, the process includes seizure of evidence, intake/booking, storage and chain of custody. In reporting and analysis, the process includes internal and statutory reporting, ad hoc reports, and custom forms. And included in solution management are the need for a single platform that can accommodate multiple solutions, support a customizable dashboard, document audit trails, grant or deny access to sensitive information, and send automated disposition alerts.
- Information required in responses includes a description of how a particular solution meets the needs and requirements described, and whether it’s “out of the box functionality, enabled through configuration,” or requires customization. Respondents should also indicate how their system will integrate with other systems including those based around Microsoft; and how and where their system/data are stored, whether on an LADA server or in the cloud. Respondents should also lay out their implementation approach and an estimated timeline; and provide a cost estimate — to be considered “for informational purposes only” and non-binding to both the respondent and the county. Also required is a description of the company’s experience with “Evidence Management solutions and implementation” and a list of law enforcement agencies that use its product and descriptions of the firm’s ongoing support model, of product support and maintenance, of the solution’s technical architecture and of the required support environment around hardware and software. Also required is a description of the “solution’s technical architecture as it relates to data security ... .”
- A virtual conference for respondents will be held online at 10 a.m. Thursday. Questions on the RFI are due before 5 p.m. May 5. Responses to the RFI are due by 5 p.m. May 5.
