Alanco Technologies has announced today that its TSI PRISM subsidiary has been selected as a subcontractor by Northrop Grumman to provide RFID inmate tracking systems for 19 federal immigration detention facilities. The Department of Homeland Security awarded Northrop a task order to provide infrastructure and an integrated system that will locate and track detainees, reserve bed space among various facilities, and manage detainee transportation.

The task order consists of a one-year, $14 million base period with three one-year options for a total potential value of $44.35 million.

The facilities, housing in excess of 20,000 alien detainees, are operated by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Detention and Removal Operations (ICE-DRO), an agency of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). As the agency experiences an increase in apprehension rates of illegal aliens, ICE-DRO is increasing detention capacity, incorporating RFID detainee tracking and implementing a systems modernization effort to improve transportation asset usage and bed space management.

The Alanco/TSI PRISM subcontract requires the company to provide RF designs, system hardware including 22,000 TSI PRISM wrist transmitters, staff training and system integration services for the nineteen DRO facilities. The final scope and potential expansion of the RFID systems to be deployed will be determined in consultation with Northrop Grumman and DRO in the commencement phase of the project scheduled for January 5, 2009.

Greg M. Oester, President of Alanco/TSI PRISM, commented, “The 22,000 detainee, 19 facility size of this project will represent the largest deployment of RFID inmate tracking technology anywhere.”