A whistleblower pointed state investigators to an unnamed, high-ranking law enforcement officer who was using California’s statewide law enforcement telecommunication network to find the home addresses and vehicle information of a deputy district attorney, a county supervisor and six of his employees.
The officer’s illegal use of the network was among the findings in a report on “improper activities” by California state workers. The California State Auditor’s report is known for shining a light over the years on a sleeping DMV worker, nepotism and expensive mistakes. The report does not name names. It’s meant to prod departments into tidying up their practices.
The State Auditor’s office said in the new report on Thursday that it would not even identify where the law enforcement officer worked because doing so could lead to his identification. The whistleblower investigation found the officer used the California Law Enforcement Telecommunications System out of personal curiosity. He told investigators he looked up his employees as part of a threat assessment, though he never took any official steps to act on the information. He also searched for himself and his family members, along with 65 vehicles listed for sale online. One of his family members bought a car the officer had searched for, according to the auditor’s report.
The unnamed state law enforcement agency took “appropriate personnel action” after learning of the audit’s findings, the report said. The agency also shared the audit’s findings with a local district attorney, who declined to press charges.
The report also found: Two employees of the State Controller’s Office, which handles payroll for state employees, improperly telecommuted from Idaho, Alabama and Tennessee. A California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection employee improperly used a state vehicle to commute to work for five years, costing the state $42,000. He also charged $27,000 in commuting time on his timesheets. The department took “appropriate action” in response to the findings, the audit said.
A new hire at the Department of Education told investigators his relationship to his hiring manager was “like brother and sister” during an investigation into nepotism. The audit found that the manager violated the other job candidates’ rights when she helped secure a job for the employee, who was a childhood friend. The department dismissed the manager as a result of the audit and sought to rescind the employee’s hiring.
