WASHINGTON, June 6 (UPI) -- The FBI missed chances to stop a controversial case management program well before the $170 million project was dropped, The Washington Post reported.
The newspaper said it had obtained a 32-page report prepared for the House Appropriations Committee that outlined problems with the FBI's plans for a computerized case management program called the Virtual Case File. Several officials had concerns about the project two years before it was canceled this year, the Post said.
The report estimated that the system represented about $100 million was wasted costs, the Post said. The other funds were either unspent or could be applied to other applications.
The program known as VCF was officially dropped in March when FBI Director Robert Mueller said it was not performing as expected. The program sought to replace the bureau's often-criticized paper-based records system.
About a year into the program -- in early 2003 -- "some officials involved in VCF's development began to see problems," the report stated. A pilot program was rapped by field agents, the Post said.
"We got our money's worth out of the evaluation. Now we're charting a new course and look forward to publicizing it when it's ready," said Zalmai Azmi, FBI information technology official said on the bureau Web site.
