LEIN Data Security & Privacy Protocols 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under LEIN policy, when an officer discovers that a coworker has been accessing criminal history records for personal reasons unrelated to official duties, what is the FIRST required action?
- Confront the coworker directly and warn them to stop
- Report the misuse to the agency's LEIN terminal agency coordinator (TAC) (Correct answer)
- Delete the unauthorized queries from the system log
- Notify the subject whose record was accessed
Correct answer: Report the misuse to the agency's LEIN terminal agency coordinator (TAC)
Suspected misuse must be reported immediately to the TAC, who is responsible for investigating and escalating to MSP-CJIC.
Question 2: Which federal law most directly governs the dissemination of criminal history record information (CHRI) obtained through LEIN to non-criminal justice agencies?
- Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
- Privacy Act of 1974
- 28 CFR Part 20 (Correct answer)
- Electronic Communications Privacy Act
Correct answer: 28 CFR Part 20
28 CFR Part 20 establishes federal regulations for the exchange and dissemination of criminal justice information, including CHRI.
Question 3: A LEIN user receives a query result showing a person has an active protection order. Under privacy protocols, who is authorized to receive this information?
- Any law enforcement officer who requests it verbally
- Only the officer who submitted the original query and authorized supervisors (Correct answer)
- The subject of the protection order upon their request
- Any court clerk processing related paperwork
Correct answer: Only the officer who submitted the original query and authorized supervisors
Protection order information is restricted to the requesting officer and authorized personnel with a legitimate law enforcement need.
Question 4: What is the required retention period for LEIN transaction logs at a terminal agency before they may be purged?
- 30 days
- 90 days
- 1 year (Correct answer)
- 3 years
Correct answer: 1 year
LEIN policy requires terminal agencies to retain transaction logs for a minimum of one year to support audits and investigations.
Question 5: An officer uses LEIN to run a plate check on a vehicle belonging to an ex-spouse with no law enforcement purpose. This act is best classified as:
- A minor policy deviation subject to retraining
- A criminal offense under the federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act only
- Unauthorized access and a violation of LEIN use policies potentially subject to criminal charges (Correct answer)
- Permissible if the officer suspects a crime may occur
Correct answer: Unauthorized access and a violation of LEIN use policies potentially subject to criminal charges
Accessing LEIN for personal purposes constitutes unauthorized use, violating both LEIN policy and potentially state and federal computer crime statutes.
Question 6: Which of the following best describes a 'secondary dissemination' under LEIN privacy rules?
- Running a second query on the same subject within 24 hours
- Sharing LEIN-obtained information with a third party after the original authorized recipient receives it (Correct answer)
- Entering the same record into two separate databases simultaneously
- Forwarding a LEIN message to a backup terminal
Correct answer: Sharing LEIN-obtained information with a third party after the original authorized recipient receives it
Secondary dissemination occurs when LEIN-obtained data is passed from the initial authorized recipient to another party, which requires separate authorization.
Question 7: Under LEIN security protocols, what must an officer do before stepping away from an unattended LEIN terminal in a public-accessible area?
- Log the terminal's last query in a manual ledger
- Lock or log off the terminal to prevent unauthorized access (Correct answer)
- Notify dispatch that the terminal is temporarily unmanned
- Enable the terminal's read-only mode
Correct answer: Lock or log off the terminal to prevent unauthorized access
Unattended terminals must be locked or logged off to prevent unauthorized individuals from accessing LEIN data.
LEIN Data Security & Privacy Protocols 2
Under LEIN policy, when an officer discovers that a coworker has been accessing criminal history records for personal reasons unrelated to official duties, what is the FIRST required action?