Probe Faults System for Monitoring U.S. Borders

Washington Post ^ | April 11, 2005 | John Mintz

[Ramonan]

A critical network of cameras and sensors installed for the U.S. Border Patrol along the Mexican and Canadian borders has been hobbled for years by defective equipment that was poorly installed, and by lax oversight by government officials who failed to properly supervise the project's contractor, according to government reports and public and industry officials.

The problems with the $239 million Integrated Surveillance Intelligence System (ISIS), which U.S. officials call crucial to defending the country against terrorist infiltrators, are under investigation by the inspector general of the General Services Administration.

That probe, into whether government officials allowed the contractor to cut corners on the project and receive huge overcharges during its eight-year lifetime, could lead to administrative or criminal charges, the officials said.

Many irregularities were documented in a scathing GSA inspector general's report, released in December, which cited millions of dollars in potential overcharges by the contractor, International Microwave Corp. (IMC), as well as the record of U.S. officials paying for work never performed.

The investigation focuses in part on IMC's employment of the daughter of Rep. Silvestre Reyes (D-Tex.), a former Border Patrol official and key backer of the system of 12,000 sensors and several hundred cameras installed for the Border Patrol between 1998 and last year, officials said. There is no indication that Reyes took part in any impropriety, they said.

Investigators are looking into the past activities of the Connecticut-based firm, as well as the actions of some current and former officials of the Border Patrol; its former parent agency, the Immigration and Naturalization Service; and GSA.

"The contractor sold us a bill of goods, and no one in the Border Patrol and INS was watching," said Carey James, the Border Patrol chief in Washington state until 2001. "All these failures placed Americans in danger."

[CONSERVE]

Probably all the cheap labor they were using.

[Brilliant]

It's not the "system's" fault. It's the guys who devised and run the system, and who refuse to fix it.

[The Spirit Of Allegiance]

Always looking for "the story behind the story," I'm wondering if this company has been designated the official whipping boy for all whom the public seek to hold accountable on the many borders issues.....

[Travis McGee]

Billions for Homeland Defense, not one penny for a proper border fence.

[Sender]

They're just sensing what Americans don't want to do.

[Southack]

Results:

4 records found in 0.1250 seconds.
 

Search Criteria: Donor occupation: International Microwave Cycle(s) selected: 2004, 2002, 2000 Start another search

Sort by Name Sort by Date Sort by Amount

Total for this search: $3,500

Contributor	Occupation	Date	Amount	Recipient
ACRI, ANN BRANFORD,CT 06405	INTERNATIONAL MICROWAVE INC./ADMINI	4/30/2001	$1,000	Reyes, Silvestre
ACRI, ANN BRANFORD,CT 06405	INTERNATIONAL MICROWAVE INC	10/18/2000	$1,000	Reyes, Silvestre
ACRI, ANN BRANFORD,CT 06405	INTERNATIONAL MICROWAVE INC/PRESIDE	4/24/2003	$500	Lieberman, Joe
ACRI, ANTHONY BRANFORD,CT 06405	INTERNATIONAL MICROWAVE INC./PRESID	4/30/2001	$1,000	Reyes, Silvestre

[Southack]

Results:

5 records found in 0.2031 seconds.
 

Search Criteria: Donor occupation: IMC Donor State: CT Cycle(s) selected: 2004, 2002, 2000 Start another search

Sort by Name Sort by Date Sort by Amount

Total for this search: $5,000

Contributor	Occupation	Date	Amount	Recipient
ACRI, ANTHONY EAST HAVEN,CT 06512	IMC/PRESIDENT	4/12/2003	$2,000	Lieberman, Joe
ACRI, ANTHONY BRANFORD,CT 06405	IMC/RF SUPERVISOR	4/24/2003	$500	Lieberman, Joe
GAVRIELIDIS, STAVROULA BRANFORD,CT 06405	IMC/INVENTORY CONTROL	6/30/2003	$1,000	Lieberman, Joe
GAVRIELIDIS, STAVROULA BRANFORD,CT 06405	IMC/INVENTORY CONTROL	9/30/2003	$1,000	Lieberman, Joe
VLASIC, MARK GREENWICH,CT 06831	IMCO LLC	5/11/2000	$500	Clinton, Hillary Rodham

[The Spirit Of Allegiance]

Hmmmm. Lookee where Hillary shows up. Fascinating!

[spodefly]

A critical network of cameras and sensors installed for the U.S. Border Patrol along the Mexican and Canadian borders has been hobbled for years by defective equipment that was poorly installed, and by lax oversight by government officials who failed to properly supervise the project's contractor, according to government reports and public and industry officials.

What those reports don't tell you is that the "critical network of cameras and sensors installed ... along the Mexican and Canadian borders has been hobbled" INTENTIONALLY, BY DESIGN.

These systems were never meant to work. They were installed to give the appearance of using technology to secure the borders and to feather the nests of contributers that own the companies making the equipment, not to secure the borders.

[hedgetrimmer]

Can we find out who signed the workorders? FOIA?

[The Spirit Of Allegiance]

considering posts #8 and # together -- note that if HILLARY suddenly appeared and FIXED things, regardless of WHY they are inoperable, what a WonderWoman she'd be! ....at least according to some....

---

the "critical network of cameras and sensors installed ... along the Mexican and Canadian borders has been hobbled" INTENTIONALLY, BY DESIGN.

These systems were never meant to work. They were installed to give the appearance of using technology to secure the borders and to feather the nests of contributers that own the companies making the equipment, not to secure the borders.