San Mateo County Grand Jury
• 2006-2007
Issue | Background | Findings | Conclusions | Recommendations | Responses | Attachments Summary of Identification Badge
⚠️ 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 and Recommendations 5 findings
F1
Adopt procedures to insure that occasional and unannounced spot checks are conducted at all badge controlled access points to verify that each badge belongs to the user of that badge. Response: Concur. The Sheriff’s Countywide Security Unit will be tasked with the responsibility of conducting spot checks by the un-intrusive use of cardkey computer monitors. The results of these spot checks will be documented and forwarded to the Captain of Courts, Custody and Security Services and will be shared with the BSWG in order to identify and address security concerns in the future.
Related Recommendations (1)
R1
Adopt procedures to insure that occasional and unannounced spot checks are conducted at all badge controlled access points to verify that each badge belongs to the user of that badge.
F2
Adopt procedures to insure that the badge of every terminated employee is returned to the County and deactivated immediately upon termination. Response: Concur. If an employee is terminated for cause, ISD or the San Mateo Medical Center (depending on the employee’s assignment) will deactivate the employee’s cardkey and notify the Sheriff’s Countywide Security Unit. Routine resignations are handled through a termination report, which is generated after each payroll. The report is sent to the County’s Cardkey Administrator at ISD. The cardkeys are deactivated for all employees on the termination report. The Medical Center’s Cardkey Administrator is notified by e-mail from the various Unit Managers that an employee has terminated and immediately deactivates that employee’s cardkey. The result is that the cardkeys, cancelled electronically, will no longer activate the door mechanisms. These processes have been in place for some time but need to be formally adopted in County Administrative Memorandum B-20. The issue of the employees returning their cardkeys is a more complicated issue, as some employees feel that the cardkey is their personal property and fail to return them upon termination. The Sheriff’s Office will work with the BSWG to develop a countywide procedure that will ensure that every effort is made to retrieve employee cardkeys upon termination from County service.
Related Recommendations (1)
R2
Adopt procedures to insure that the badge of every terminated employee is returned to the County and deactivated immediately upon termination.
F3
Re-examine the policies of issuing badges that are valid for more than twelve months and of allowing unused badges to remain valid. Response: Disagree. Setting annual termination dates for County employees and members of the Bar Association would create an undue burden on cardkey administration and could have significant impacts on building operations. This past year the County initiated a process whereby departments are required to review a report of all their employees that have cardkey access to the Hall of Justice and verify that the employees are still employed by the County and that their level of access is appropriate. The County’s Health Department has already completed such a review and a review by the Human Services Agency is currently underway. The plan is that all departments would perform a comprehensive review at least once a year. Though in place, this process still needs to be formally adopted in County Administrative Memorandum B-20. The BSWG will also approach the Bar Association about conducting a review of all member attorneys who possess active cardkeys.
Related Recommendations (1)
R3
Re-examine the policies of issuing badges that are valid for more than twelve months and of allowing unused badges to remain valid.
F4
Re-examine the policy of allowing work crews access to the Hall of Justice without vetting each member of the crew. Response: Disagree. It would cause significant workload to do backgrounds on all contract workers. Also, the policy would effectively eliminate the County’s use of contractors that provide rehabilitation services, such as Delancey Street Movers. It should be noted that Public Works and/or County department staff are required to have at least one employee on hand when vendors/contractors are accessing any County building after hours to ensure that workers remain in the authorized areas.
Related Recommendations (1)
R4
Re-examine the policy of allowing work crews access to the Hall of Justice without vetting each member of the crew.
F5
Formalize and adopt County Administrative Memorandum B-20, Building Security and Court Security Plan. Response: Concur. Although County Administrative Memorandum B-20 was formally adopted in 1998, it needs to be updated. An interdepartmental work group will be established in early 2007 to begin a comprehensive review and update of all County Administrative Memoranda. Administrative Memorandum B-20 will be a high priority item. The County will notify the Grand Jury once B- 20 has been updated and adopted. December 4, 2006 Honorable John L. Grandsaert Judge of the Superior Court Hall of Justice 400 County Center: 2nd Floor Redwood City, CA 94063-1655 Re: Grand Jury Report: Summary of Identification Badge Control at the San Mateo County Hall of Justice Dear Judge Grandsaert: Please find the Sheriff’s response to the aforementioned Grand Jury report below. The Sheriff’s Office appreciates the Grand Jury’s efforts in reviewing Court security issues and welcomes the opportunity to respond to the findings and recommendations. The Sheriff’s Office, as a department representative on the Building Security Work Group (BSWG), will defer comment on the Findings to the BSWG, which will be forthcoming from the County Manager’s Office in January 2007.
Related Recommendations (1)
R5
Formalize and adopt County Administrative Memorandum B-20, Building Security Policy and Court Security Plan. COUNTY OF SAN MATEO Inter-Departmental Correspondence County Manager’s Office DATE: December 22, 2006 BOARD MEETING DATE: January 9, 2007 SPECIAL NOTICE: None VOTE REQUIRED: None TO: Honorable Board of Supervisors FROM: John L. Maltbie, County Manager SUBJECT: 2006-07 Grand Jury Response Recommendation Accept this report containing the County’s responses to the following 2006-07 Grand Jury reports: Pandemic Influenza Preparedness at the San Mateo County Women’s Correctional Facility and Badge Control at the San Mateo County Hall of Justice. VISION ALIGNMENT: Commitment: Responsive, effective and collaborative government. Goal 20: Government decisions are based on careful consideration of future impact, rather than temporary relief or immediate gain. This activity contributes to the goal by ensuring that all Grand Jury findings and recommendations are thoroughly reviewed by the appropriate County departments and that, when appropriate, process improvements are made to improve the quality and efficiency of services provided to the public and other agencies.
Conclusions 1
-
CL1 Page 4Access to the Hall of Justice must strike a balance between security issues and convenient access by the public and to County employees. The Hall of Justice is a multi-functional facility, housing several County administrative departments in addition to the Courts. While the County wants to present an open environment to members of the public who have routine business at the various administrative departments, the courts require a more 4 secure environment. The current badge control system is an attempt to satisfy both requirements and is less than ideal for either. Badge-holders entering the Hall of Justice through one of the unmonitored entrances are not required to present their badges to a security guard. There is no procedure in place to insure that badges are used only by the person to whom they were issued. The Jury was told that some persons have been seen using their badges to admit others through the employee entrance. Employee badges are not always recovered or invalidated in a timely manner, nor is ISD notified immediately to cancel the badges of terminated employees. Vendor badges are issued only to a supervisor, not to all members of work crews, allowing individuals that have not been screened to enter the facility. The issuance and control of identification badges is a critical element in the overall administration of security at the County Hall of Justice. The Hall of Justice is a particularly sensitive environment and even minor improvements in security may help avoid potentially dangerous situations.
No Responses Found 2
Government entities assigned to respond to this report. No response documents have been linked in our database.
San Mateo County Board of Supervisors
Elected County Office
San Mateo County Sheriff
Elected County Office