MA- Auditor blasts state criminal records system as outdated, inaccurate

5-6-2009 Massachusetts:

A scathing audit today condemned the state's criminal records system as flawed and woefully obsolete, preventing law enforcement agencies from obtaining current information and saddling some innocent people with false criminal records.

The one-year review by State Auditor Joe DeNucci's office found lengthy lag times between updates of criminal records, leading to more than 38,000 cases where convictions did not appear in the database, including murder and failing to register as a sex offender. It also found few safeguards against mistaken information being entered into the database.

"I am deeply concerned that the lack of a modern, state-of-the-art criminal history information system could pose a threat to public safety," DeNucci said. "These are serious public safety concerns that must be addressed."

Massachusetts is the only state that does not use fingerprint verification before changes to criminal records, the audit found. This allows criminal charges to be entered into the system for the wrong person, either by error or if an offender gives a false name.

Kevin Burke, secretary of the state's public safety office, which oversees the Criminal History Systems Board, which maintains the system, requested the audit. DeNucci said a lack of funding is a major reason for the outdated technology, but that an overhaul is expected over the next two years.

Without an overhaul, DeNucci said, the system "cannot guarantee the reliability of law enforcement decisions that depend on this information."

The audit also found that unauthorized users were able to access the system, often illegally running arbitrary background checks on well-known Massachusetts residents without justification.

Curtis Wood, executive director of the Criminal History Systems Board, said the audit accurately portrayed the system's deficiencies.

"There are shortcomings in the system," he said. "We feel the audit was fair and representative of where we need to go."

Wood said the database, which holds more than 3 million criminal records and links with federal and international law enforcement agencies, is more than 20 years old and sorely in need of an upgrade.

"That's the underlying issue here," he said. "It's well past its prime, and we're really playing catchup."

Some 30,000 public safety officials, from prosecutors to probation officers, access the system.

Besides criminal records, the database includes information on missing and wanted persons, drivers' licenses and motor vehicles, and firearms licenses.
..News Source.. by Peter Schworm, Globe Staff