Ohio’s law enforcement database and its facial recognition software are open to more than just law enforcement, a concern of members of the advisory group reviewing the security of the systems.
The 30,000 users that access the Ohio Law Enforcement Gateway, or OHLEG, include court employees such as clerks of courts, bailiffs and parole officers, along with out-of-state and national law enforcement agencies, officials from the attorney general’s office told the advisory group at its first meeting Tuesday.
And while Ohio law enforcement officers’ access is removed immediately from OHLEG if they leave or are fired, the Bureau of Criminal Investigation only updates its user list from courts or other agencies annually, said Steve Raubenolt, a BCI official who oversees OHLEG. That’s not often enough, considering employee turnover in courts and agencies, said former Ohio Supreme Court Justice Eve Stratton, who is co-chairing the advisory group
Those issues topped the list of concerns expressed Tuesday by advisory group members – current and former judges, police, a prosecutor, a public defender and a coroner. The group has until Oct. 25 to make recommendations to Attorney General Mike DeWine on what audits, restrictions, security upgrades or other changes the state should make to OHLEG or the facial recognition system. The panel’s next meeting is Sept. 20 at 10:30 a.m., with location to be determined.