Information Technology: FBI Following a Number of Key Acquisition Practices on New Case Management System but Improvements Still Needed

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Sentinel program is intended to replace and expand on the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) failed Virtual Case File (VCF) project and thereby meet the bureau's pressing need for a modern, automated capability to support its field agents and intelligence analysts' investigative case management and information sharing requirements. Because of the FBI's experience with VCF and the importance of Sentinel to the bureau's mission operations, GAO was asked to conduct a series of reviews on the FBI's management of Sentinel. This review focuses on the FBI's (1) use of effective practices for acquiring Sentinel and (2) basis for reliably estimating Sentinel's schedule and costs. To address its objectives, GAO researched relevant best practices, reviewed FBI policies and procedures, program plans and other program documents, and interviewed appropriate program officials.

Information Technology: FBI Has Largely Staffed Key Modernization Program, but Strategic Approach to Managing Program's Human Capital Is Needed

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) recently began a 6-year, $425 million program called Sentinel to replace and expand on both its failed Virtual Case File (VCF) project and its antiquated, paper-based, legacy system for supporting mission-critical intelligence analysis and investigative case management activities. Because of the FBI's experience with VCF and the importance of Sentinel, GAO was requested to address a number of program management issues associated with acquiring Sentinel via a prime development contractor. This report focuses on one of these issues: whether the FBI is adequately providing for the program's human capital needs. The findings are based on GAO's review of relevant program documentation, interviews with program officials, and human capital management guidance.

The Truth About Voter Fraud

Allegations of election-related fraud make for enticing press. Many Americans remember vivid stories of voting improprieties in Chicagoland, or the suspiciously sudden appearance of LBJ's alphabetized ballot box in Texas, or Governor Earl Long's quip: "When I die, I want to be buried in Louisiana, so I can stay active in politics." Voter fraud, in particular, has the feel of a bank heist caper: roundly condemned but technically fascinating, and sufficiently lurid to grab and hold headlines. Perhaps because these stories are dramatic, voter fraud makes a popular scapegoat. In the aftermath of a close election, losing candidates are often quick to blame voter fraud for the results. Legislators cite voter fraud as justification for various new restrictions on the exercise of the franchise. And pundits trot out the same few anecdotes time and again as proof that a wave of fraud is imminent.Allegations of widespread voter fraud, however, often prove greatly exaggerated. It is easy to grab headlines with a lurid claim ("Tens of thousands may be voting illegally!"); the follow-up -- when any exists -- is not usually deemed newsworthy. Yet on closer examination, many of the claims of voter fraud amount to a great deal of smoke without much fire. The allegations simply do not pan out

Performing Lena: Race, Representation, and the Postwar Autobiographical Performances of Lena Horne

As a hypervisible black woman, whose overdetermined image was evoked by blacks and whites to represent racialized political interests on both sides of the color line throughout the long civil rights era, singer–actress Lena Horne was burdened with the requirement to perform blackness. In this dissertation, I explore Horne’s attempts to negotiate these performance expectations during the postwar, McCarthy, and civil rights eras. I contend that Horne self–fashioned a series of politicized black female personas that negotiated, challenged, and appropriated, with varied and often conflicting results, her Hollywood–manufactured glamour girl image in an effort to talk back to the dominant society and talk to her black audiences. Moreover, I argue that Horne’s autobiographical performances of politicized blackness reflect and shape the changing, always contested, definitions of black “authenticity” and radical protest politics between 1945 and 1965

What Implications Can Be Made From the Interactions Between Finances and Violations for Division 1 Men\u27s Basketball Schools?

The purpose of this study was to find out what types of schools violated as well as the implications these violations had on internal finances. This research was practical and important because of it suggested possible motive for schools that want to increase revenue or win percentage. The NCAA could use this information to narrow their efforts on possible violators through the use of trends. Athletic departments could use this information to anticipate future violations and stop them before they occur. What was already known was that schools that win, generate a larger profit than those who don’t. The method used for the conclusions that were drawn was recording the means, number, and standard deviation of the total violations and win percentage while violating. This same procedure was done for the total violations and net profit during violations. The means were compared between the win percentages before violating and during violation. The means were also recorded for net profit while violating. Although it was impossible to say what motivates schools to violate, the study was still able to run reports on the variables. Teams with lower win percentages committed more violations. Similarly, teams with lower profits commit more violations. Another important conclusion that was made was that teams that commit violations improve their win percentage. The final conclusion made was that while some of the schools were losing money before or after violating, no schools on average lost money in the years they were violating

Information Technology: FBI Is Building Management Capabilities Essential to Successful System Deployments, but Challenges Remain

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is in the process of modernizing its information technology (IT) systems. Replacing much of its 1980s-based technology with modern system applications and supporting technical infrastructure, this modernization is intended to enable the FBI to take an integrated, agencywide approach to performing its critical missions, such as federal crime investigation and terrorism prevention. At the request of the Congress, GAO has conducted a series of reviews of the FBI's modernization management. GAO was requested to testify on the bureau's progress to date in several areas of IT management. In addition, GAO discusses the importance of these areas for maximizing the prospects for success of the bureau's ongoing and future IT system investments, including the FBI's flagship Sentinel program; this program replaces the bureau's failed Virtual Case File project and aims to acquire and deploy a modern investigative case management system. In this testimony, GAO relied extensively on its previous work on the FBI's management of its IT processes, human capital, and tools, and it obtained updates on these efforts through reviews of documentation and interviews with responsible FBI officials, including the Chief Information Officer (CIO).

Technology and the Police

“Technology and the Police” primarily seeks to underline the importance of the role technology plays when it comes to law enforcement. As agents of law enforcement, police are needed to protect and defend society. From the use of DNA to video surveillance and tracking tools, technology helps police officers achieve their goal. Furthermore, technology may also serve as a means of control to make sure police are doing their job effectively. Another purpose of “Technology and the Police” is to show that unlike popular belief, the study of history does not start and ends in the past. It is a continuous process from which many lessons can be learnt and understood, it is timeless. Hence, this thesis also attempts to challenge ideas that history and technology cannot blend together because one represents the past and the other represents the present and the future