Jonathan D. Silver reports:
A state law that protects criminal history data was violated numerous times in Monroeville, an audit by the Pennsylvania attorney general’s office revealed.
In a letter dated Tuesday to Monroeville officials, Executive Deputy Attorney General Lawrence M. Cherba noted that his office could seek court-imposed penalties for violations of the Criminal History Record Information Act.
Mr. Cherba said his office decided to handle the situation administratively, however, because the violations were the first for Monroeville, municipal officials cooperated with the attorney general’s audit, and corrective measures were taken.
Read more on Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. This investigation somewhat overlaps with previous investigations undertaken after the then-Assistant Chief of Police filed a complaint with HHS that EMS dispatch was providing notifications to those with no need to know. As a result of his complaint, the town hired an investigator. In the course of his investigation, he discovered and reported that members of the volunteer fire department were improperly accessing the police database by bypassing the recommended security configuration on the town’s software. It appears it is this latter issue that the state attorney general’s office looked into.