DEAR ABBY: I am writing in response to "Came Up Clean in Los Angeles," who heard from an old pen pal who was a police dispatcher who ran her name through a police computer and sent her the printout of her driver's license personal information.
In California, where the pen pal worked, police dispatchers routinely access information from the California Law Enforcement Telecommunications System (CLETS) as part of their everyday job.
We ARE authorized users of this system. However, the use of any CLETS information for other than official business may be in violation of the California Penal Code. Additionally, the use of CLETS for other than official law enforcement purposes may result in the employing agency seeking dismissal and/or prosecution of the employee. I have no doubt that other states have similar laws.
I, too, am a police dispatcher and am proud of what I do. I was surprised that a fellow dispatcher would obtain such personal information and then send the information to that person, regardless of their relationship. We use this criteria in the workplace: the need to know and the right to know. If you have neither, you have no business running the person or vehicle.
Perhaps the agency for which the pen pal works needs to re-educate its employees on the consequences of such actions. -- LAURA ABSHER-PERRY, POLICE AND FIRE DISPATCHER
DEAR LAURA: With so much confidential information being stored in data banks, and a growing number of individuals able to access it, periodic reminders about the importance of confidentiality (and the penalties for breaching it) may curb potential abuses. Thank you for your intelligent suggestion.