On January 27, 2026, the Anoka County Board of Commissioners approved a multi-year contract that will quietly but profoundly reshape how the county’s jail operates day-to-day. The board authorized Contract #C0012087 with BI2 Technologies, replacing a jail management system that county officials say has outlived both its technology and its reliability.

The decision reflects a growing recognition among local governments that jail software is not just a back-office tool; it is the operational spine of custody. Booking accuracy, identity verification, inmate movement, court coordination, and lawful release all depend on systems that function correctly every hour of every day.

Replacing a Fragile Legacy System

County documents describe the existing platform, known internally as Police Central (PCI), as increasingly fragile. Portions of the system are more than 15 years old and rely on programming languages that are no longer supported.

During the committee review, staff cited persistent limitations in functionality and reliability. They warned that continued dependence on the aging platform posed a significant operational risk, as any system failure could disrupt the essential data flow required to manage the inmate population safely.

A Phased Transition to IMATS

Rather than a sudden “cutover,” Anoka County has structured the contract to preserve continuity while building a replacement in parallel. From 2026 through 2028, BI2 Technologies will continue supporting the existing PCI system at a cost of $125,000 per year.

This three-year bridge allows jail operations to continue uninterrupted while data is migrated and staff are trained on the new platform. The replacement system, known as IMATS (Inmate Management and Tracking System), is a cloud-based platform that BI2 will develop and configure at no additional cost to the county.

The contract includes up to 30 days of on-site training, with a full operational launch anticipated for June 2027.

The Financial Commitment

The long-term maintenance and implementation structure includes:

• Bridge Period (2026-2028): $125,000 annually for legacy support.
• Operational Years 1-3: $165,344 annually for the new IMATS system.
• Operational Years 4-6: Continued support and maintenance (pricing structured into the agreement).

Digital Upgrade Meets Physical Reality

The software overhaul arrives as Anoka County confronts the physical limits of its jail infrastructure. The county is currently planning a $163.98 million jail replacement project after the Minnesota Department of Corrections cited the existing 40-year-old facility for deteriorating systems and space deficiencies.

For correctional staff, the transition to IMATS promises fewer manual workarounds and less reliance on “patched” legacy systems. For the county, the digital upgrade is intended to reduce errors tied to misidentification or record discrepancies, strengthening safeguards at critical moments where data accuracy is a matter of public safety.

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