Report 2013-103 Recommendation 27 Responses

Report 2013-103: Armed Persons With Mental Illness: Insufficient Outreach From the Department of Justice and Poor Reporting From Superior Courts Limit the Identification of Armed Persons With Mental Illness (Release Date: October 2013)

Recommendation #27 To: Justice, Department of

To ensure that it regularly follows up and attempts to resolve APPS database cases that remain outstanding, by December 31, 2013, Justice should establish a specific time interval for how long cases can remain pending for review before becoming a higher priority for follow-up work and how often, at a minimum, its staff should perform follow-up work on these higher priority cases. Justice should establish a written policy that addresses both of these expectations.

1-Year Agency Response

The Department enhanced the APPS database to allow staff to document their efforts to make determinations. In addition, the Department established a procedure that indicates how often outstanding APPS database cases should be reviewed and the required documentation. The Department will process each case as relevant information is made available in order determine if a subject is prohibited.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 1-Year Status: Fully Implemented

6-Month Agency Response

The Department is working to establish additional positions within the APPS unit to conduct the quality control review of APPS determinations. As of December 16, 2013, the Department established two new Criminal Identification Specialist III positions to conduct the quality control reviews. The positions were advertised on December 18, 2013, however no qualified applicants applied for the positions. The positions were re-advertised on February 6, 2014, and a single eligible applicant applied. However, that applicant failed a reference check and thus was not hired for the open position. The Department will re-advertise the positions for a third time in mid-April 2014. The Department is also backfilling the vacant APPS unit manager position. However, the Department is in the process of administering a new Department of Justice Administrator I (DOJA I) exam and it is expected that the open manager position in the APPS unit will be filled after the exam is completed in September 2014. Once the APPS unit manager position is filled, work will begin on the development of quality control procedures.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Pending

60-Day Agency Response

To accomplish this recommendation the Department is working to establish additional positions within the APPS unit to conduct the quality control review of APPS determinations. As of December 16, 2013, the Department worked to establish two new Criminal Identification Specialist III positions to conduct the quality control reviews. The positions were advertised December 18, 2013. The Department is also backfilling the vacant APPS unit manager. Once the APPS unit manager position is filled, work will begin on developing quality control procedures.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 60-Day Status: Pending

All Recommendations in 2013-103

Agency responses received are posted verbatim.