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Extracted from Consolidated Report
This investigation was originally published as part of a larger consolidated report containing multiple investigations. View the consolidated PDF for the complete document.
Sacramento County Grand Jury
• 2019-2020
The Role of the Sacramento County Grand Jury
⚠️ Translation Notice: This content has been automatically translated. The original English text is the official version. Translation may contain errors.
⚠️ Este contenido ha sido traducido automáticamente. El texto original en inglés es la versión oficial. La traducción puede contener errores.
Findings 13 findings
F1
Page 98
Sacramento County Department of Technology (DTech) is not currently practicing regular, consistent vulnerability scans and penetration testing. Vulnerability scanning and penetration testing are often confused. The two security procedures are quite different and are used for different purposes. At the most basic level, vulnerability scanning aims to identify any systems that are subject to known vulnerabilities while a penetration test aims to identify weaknesses in specific system configurations and organizational processes and practices that can be exploited to compromise security.
F2
Page 98
Voter Registration and Elections Department (VRE) considers election security a major concern and has given it a very high priority. The Sacramento County Registrar of Voters (SCRV) and her staff were very cooperative and began almost immediately to implement changes and corrective measures for identified shortcomings.
F3
Page 98
Media policy is currently under review to address the management of account passwords and the enforcement of the County of Sacramento supported multi-factor authentication methods. The estimated completion date is June 30, 2020. Social Media Accounts are managed by the Communication and Media Office (CMO) and adhere to the County of Sacramento Social Media Policy. Due to the limitations and diversity of Social Media account authentications, a review of Social Media Management software will be conducted by the Sacramento County Department of Technology (DTech). The estimated completion date is January 15, 2021.
F4
Page 99
Sacramento County Department of Technology (DTech) has begun a 16-month county-wide initiative to implement multi-factor authentication. Multi-factor authentication is one of the best deterrents to keep unauthorized users from hacking into computer networks. Voter Registration and Elections Department (VRE) will be one of the first departments to deploy this methodology.
F5
Page 112
Whether or not Sacramento County accepts the SB 1022 funds, the County will still be responsible to fund all the changes required by the Mays Consent Decree.
F6
The existing L&L assessment rates are insufficient to sustain maintenance, repair, and restoration for parks indefinitely. Specifically, in the short term, revenue from L&L assessment rates in BZ3 and BZ4 is insufficient to maintain, repair, and restore all parks in those benefit zones.
F7
The emphasis on individual benefit zones and overlay districts creates a complex and costly administrative burden requiring fragmented budgeting and management, and voter approvals to generate adequate revenue.
F8
The baseline budget for park maintenance, repair and restoration does not take into account, nor is it adequate to fund future park modifications or maintenance associated with new parks and programs.
F9
CCSD’s practice of attempting to increase voter understanding and acceptance of financial responsibility for the parks program through various outreach efforts has had uneven results in terms of gaining greater voter participation and potentially influencing additional funding for this program.
F10
The City of Elk Grove and CCSD have not collaborated effectively to reform and restructure the system.
F11
The current hiring process is antiquated and too long which may discourage potential recruits. The Grand Jury notes that the Police Department is reviewing how the process might be updated and shortened.
F12
POST training requirements for driving and marksmanship contribute significantly to candidate washout/failure at the Police Academy.
F13
The Community Service Officer program has made a positive contribution to both the Sacramento PD and the citizens it serves. Not only has it enabled the PD to reduce call response times even as the population has grown but it has provided a good pool of candidates to fill full time police officer positions.
Recommendations 11
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R1Page 99Sacramento County Grand Jury (SCGJ) recommends the Sacramento County Department of Technology (DTech) institute frequent penetration testing performed by a third party twice per year at a minimum. SCGJ further recommends DTech perform vulnerability scans each time the following occurs within the IT ecosystem. • Security patches are applied, • Significant changes are made to the infrastructure or network, • New infrastructure or web applications are added, • An office location changes, or an office is added to the network.
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R2Page 99Sacramento County Grand Jury (SCGJ) recommends the Communication and Media Office (CMO) adjust its election security policy to include security of the Voter Registration and Elections Department (VRE) website, communication, registration, voting and results from tabulation by June 30, 2020 in preparation for the November 2020 general election.
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R3Page 99Sacramento County Grand Jury (SCGJ) recommends that the Sacramento County Department of Technology (DTech) and Voter Registration and Elections Department (VRE) need to implement multi-factor authentication procedures before the November 2020 general election.
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R4Page 99Sacramento County Grand Jury (SCGJ) requests that the Sacramento County Department of Technology (DTech) report back to the SCGJ the results of the CyberDefenses, Inc. review and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) audit of the election security by September 30, 2020. 98
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R5CCSD and the City of Elk Grove together should conduct and report to the Regional Task Force an integrated analysis of all current revenue and projected revenue over 10 years to be collected for park maintenance, repair and restoration over the same period. Such an assessment will help gauge the adequacy of current and projected revenue without regard to the fragmentation of those resources under the current management structure. This recommendation should be implemented
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R6CCSD and the City of Elk Grove together should analyze and report to the Regional Task Force on the 10-year growth of revenue permitted under the CPI growth factor, compared with a 10-year forecast of costs associated with park maintenance, repair and restoration. This recommendation should be implemented
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R7CCSD and the City of Elk Grove should adopt the plan developed by the Regional Task Force for implementation of a new system including relevant MOUs to enable agencies responsible for collecting appropriate tax revenues sufficient to provide park services and maintenance within all neighborhoods. This recommendation should be completed
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R8The Grand Jury recommends the Sacramento City Council and the Police Department continue to expand and make permanent the CSO Program and provide a strategy for the utilization of the CSO position by December of 2021.
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R9The Grand Jury recommends that bi-annual open forum style town hall meetings with the police officers moderated by the Mayor, City Manager, Police Chief and the Police Union Representative be conducted that would give officers and management an opportunity to discuss areas of concern and interest with the goal of bolstering support between police officers and community leaders. The Grand Jury recommends this meeting begin within the next six months.
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R10The Grand Jury recommends the Police Department establish a committee or forum of younger officers to provide input on the type of “incentives” or programs that are geared to the younger professional lifestyle in order to attract new officers. The goal would be to drive changes in the Police Department that will attract new candidates including lateral transfers and also assist in retaining current officers. The Grand Jury recommends this should be done within the next six months.
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R11The Grand Jury compliments the City and Sacramento Police Department for reviewing and relaxing restrictions on tattoos, and encourages them to take similar actions on body piercings and below the collar ponytails. The Police Department should reflect not only the diversity of the community but also what is now more prevalent and acceptable in order to increase the recruitment pool and better relate to the public they serve. The Grand Jury recommends this work begin immediately. 81