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Integration of the DOJ Asset Forfeiture Program
 The
Consolidated Asset Tracking System (CATS) used by the Department of
Justice is one example of a system developed and maintained by BASE2.
CATS is used to track over 500,000 assets and is used by 11 different
Federal Agencies with over 2100 users across the United States. BASE2
consultants have been critical to the successful implementation of
the Consolidated Asset Tracking System (CATS) for the U.S. Department
of Justice (DOJ).
 Client
Profile
The DOJ's Asset Forfeiture Program involves the seizure and forfeiture
of property by various federal government organizations. Numerous
statutes and regulations within U.S. law allow for the government
to forfeit (i.e., acquire ownership of) property when it is established
that the property was either used in commission of a crime or purchased
with proceeds from criminal activity. The following federal organizations
participate in the DOJ Asset Forfeiture Program.
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)
U.S. Marshals Service
U.S. Attorneys Office
U.S. Postal Service
U.S. Park Police
Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF)
Food and Drug Administration
Asset Forfeiture Money Laundering Service
History & Events
During the 1980s, each organization developed and maintained a separate information system to support its Asset Forfeiture Program activities. These systems resided on radically different hardware and software platforms ranging from stand-alone PCs to LANs, and from mini-computer to mainframe computer applications. Each organization's system was designed to support its specific operations and none of these operational systems adequately supported the DOJ's information needs throughout the entire asset forfeiture life cycle. The benefits of implementing a single, integrated information system were evident and included lower operating costs, better quality information, improved process controls, and greater flexibility to respond to frequent changes in asset forfeiture law and procedures.
The Solution
BASE2 consultants were the principal designers of the system from the initial Feasibility Study/Requirements Analysis through the current post-Beta site phases. Currently, their primary responsibility is the design and development of all new software releases (which are delivered every four months). BASE2 consultants have also been responsible for the development and implementation of software to automate the conversion of data from the existing 14 databases to the centralized CATS IBM DB2 database. Also, an extensive effort to "clean up" and enhance the existing data was planned and coordinated by BASE2 consultants. The overall CATS project team includes several other companies working on various tasks and BASE2 consultants have been responsible for the management of these other consultants and their tasks.
BASE2 consultants have been involved in all aspects of the CATS system development project. For CATS and various related Asset Forfeiture applications, BASE2 has successfully performed contract obligations totaling more than $20M.
Benefits to the Department of Justice
With BASE2's expertise and assistance, the Department of Justice obtained the following Benefits:
Enhanced Inter-Agency Communication
Improved Asset and Fiscal Management
Automation of Manual Tasks
Smarter Field Users
Reduced Duplication
Users Able to Clearly see the Entire Asset Forfeiture Process
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