FWS - LEMIS
Investment ID: 010-000000456
Overview
Program Title
FWS - LEMIS
Description
This investment is for the Fish and Wildlife Service Law Enforcement Management Information System (LEMIS) funding that is required to accommodate the gaps/requirements that the DOI IMARS initiative does not meet; this investment has been upgraded based on meeting agency criteria for a major investment.
FWS-LEMIS has been a staple of FWS Office of Law Enforcement (OLE) since 1983 and as an agile system has undergone several iterations. It is directly managed by OLE.
FWS-LEMIS is a trident that aligns with 1) internal support for FWS OLE, Refuge Law Enforcement, and BLM Office of Law Enforcement and Security 3) external general public importers and exporters of wildlife and wildlife products (https://edecs.fws.gov) and 3) external general public import and export permit requests (https://www.fws.gov/elicense).
FWS-LEMIS is deeply ingrained in FWS OLE, FWS RLE, and BLM OLES policy and operational issues to enhance support of their officers. It enhances import/export operations.
Type of Program
Major IT Investments
Multi-Agency Category
Not Applicable
Associated Websites
https://lemis.fws.gov, https://edecs.fws.gov, https://www.fws.gov/elicense
Investment Detail
LEMIS is browser-based to meet the needs of FWS/OLE & RLE officers and staff throughout the United States. LEMIS contains many investigative components including Strategic Planning, Case Management, Incident Management, Undercover Operations, and Intelligence that are integral to FWS/OLE & RLE s operation.
The Office of Law Enforcement's strategic goals and cross-cutting objectives include:
Wildlife Protection - Protect the Nation's fish, wildlife, and plants from unlawful exploitation and industrial hazards
Global Wildlife Trafficking - Prevent the unlawful import/export and interstate commerce of foreign fish, wildlife, and plants
Facilitate Legal Trade - Facilitate the expeditious movement of legal wildlife
Management Accountability - Create a strong management system and culture to improve program performance
Enforcement Partnerships - Increase cooperation with law enforcement partners on information sharing and investigations
Compliance - Provide outreach and education to increase compliance with wildlife laws
The FWS Refuge Law Enforcement mission is as follows:
To enhance the management and protection of fish and wildlife resources on refuges, as prescribed by law. To obtain compliance with laws and regulations necessary for proper administration, management, and protection of the National Wildlife Refuge System. To protect refuge visitors and their possessions from disturbance or harm by other visitors or themselves. To assist visitors in understanding refuge laws and regulations and the reasons for them.
As an IT support system, FWS-LEMIS directly contributes to FWS/OLE and FWS/RLE ability to meet these missions.
The Electronic Declarations system (eDecs) supports more than 120 internal wildlife inspectors and 6,000 external filers and brokers. It is a specialized system and there are no other automated alternatives in submitting USFWS Form 3-177 Declaration for Importation or Exportation of Fish or Wildlife. At present, more than 98 percent of these shipments are processed using eDecs and manual process would significantly degrade processing time for inspectors, filers, and brokers. Actual metrics on the filer and broker side are not available, but internally workload savings can be estimated at 20 - 25 percent.
FWS has been working with Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in shifting upfront commercial broker data entry from eDecs to customer-developed trade systems. A pilot will begin in CY 2020 and additional metrics will be available at that time.
More than 250 special agents use a variety of LEMIS modules focused around case management and investigative reports as dictated by FWS Policy 449 FW 1 Case Management Documentation. At this time no automated alternatives exist without significant modification and reconfiguration, and LEMIS can be conservatively estimated to save agents 15 - 20 percent over an otherwise manual process.
More than 275 Refuge Law Enforcement officers use LEMIS.
All quantitative analysis tie to OLE's Strategic Plan and are reported annually in the FWS - LEMIS Operational Analysis.
The Office of Law Enforcement's strategic goals and cross-cutting objectives include:
Wildlife Protection - Protect the Nation's fish, wildlife, and plants from unlawful exploitation and industrial hazards
Global Wildlife Trafficking - Prevent the unlawful import/export and interstate commerce of foreign fish, wildlife, and plants
Facilitate Legal Trade - Facilitate the expeditious movement of legal wildlife
Management Accountability - Create a strong management system and culture to improve program performance
Enforcement Partnerships - Increase cooperation with law enforcement partners on information sharing and investigations
Compliance - Provide outreach and education to increase compliance with wildlife laws
The FWS Refuge Law Enforcement mission is as follows:
To enhance the management and protection of fish and wildlife resources on refuges, as prescribed by law. To obtain compliance with laws and regulations necessary for proper administration, management, and protection of the National Wildlife Refuge System. To protect refuge visitors and their possessions from disturbance or harm by other visitors or themselves. To assist visitors in understanding refuge laws and regulations and the reasons for them.
As an IT support system, FWS-LEMIS directly contributes to FWS/OLE and FWS/RLE ability to meet these missions.
The Electronic Declarations system (eDecs) supports more than 120 internal wildlife inspectors and 6,000 external filers and brokers. It is a specialized system and there are no other automated alternatives in submitting USFWS Form 3-177 Declaration for Importation or Exportation of Fish or Wildlife. At present, more than 98 percent of these shipments are processed using eDecs and manual process would significantly degrade processing time for inspectors, filers, and brokers. Actual metrics on the filer and broker side are not available, but internally workload savings can be estimated at 20 - 25 percent.
FWS has been working with Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in shifting upfront commercial broker data entry from eDecs to customer-developed trade systems. A pilot will begin in CY 2020 and additional metrics will be available at that time.
More than 250 special agents use a variety of LEMIS modules focused around case management and investigative reports as dictated by FWS Policy 449 FW 1 Case Management Documentation. At this time no automated alternatives exist without significant modification and reconfiguration, and LEMIS can be conservatively estimated to save agents 15 - 20 percent over an otherwise manual process.
More than 275 Refuge Law Enforcement officers use LEMIS.
All quantitative analysis tie to OLE's Strategic Plan and are reported annually in the FWS - LEMIS Operational Analysis.