IDOC launches audit after accidental release of private employee data

Social security numbers and other personal information for more than 1,000 Illinois Department of Corrections employees was accidentally released in a response to a Freedom of Information Act request, officials said.

On Aug. 14, the data was inadvertently sent to a private citizen who filed the FOIA request on behalf of an inmate, an internal investigation found. The department alerted the employees and took steps "to ensure that their identities and credit would not be further breached," according to an IDOC news release. Each will be offered free credit monitoring services.

The error was discovered after the citizen mailed the response to the inmate, the statement said. Mailroom staff intercepted the package during a routine inspection of incoming mail, and the documents were then secured in a vault.

Authorities interviewed the inmate and searched the person's cell; no employee information was found, the release said. Authorities also reviewed the inmate's recent phone conversations, which did not reveal any discussions about obtaining employee social security numbers.

In addition, department staff interviewed the civilian who made the FOIA request for the names, ranks and salaries of employees who worked at Dixon and Lawrence Correctional Centers during fiscal year 2015.

"The civilian stated that he never looked at the multi-page FOIA response and was unaware that it contained personal information," the statement said. The citizen also agreed to a polygraph test regarding whether or not he knew about the personal information and appeared to be telling the truth.

Based on preliminary findings, human error led to the information being released without redaction or a full review, the statement said.

The department is conducting a full audit of its FOIA unit, the statement said, and will implement "streamlined procedures" to prevent further breaches.