Kaiser Permanente has terminated its national director of corporate security investigations, Craig Chew, amid allegations he received confidential data from a California criminal database accessed by an Oakland police officer, the Mercury News reported April 6.
Mr. Chew, a former police officer, was fired along with several subordinates after allegedly receiving information about threats against at least one Kaiser employee from the California Law Enforcement Telecommunications System, which includes criminal and driving records, as well as access to national law enforcement databases. It is illegal under state law to use the system for non-law enforcement purposes.
According to the report, the Oakland Police Department has opened internal and criminal investigations into the matter and has also placed the officer on administrative leave.
“I can state that I never illegally obtained, requested nor directed any of my staff to obtain search results from the California Law Enforcement Telecommunications System while working at Kaiser,” Mr. Chew told the news outlet. “If Kaiser is true to its policy of conducting fair and thorough investigations in matters of workplace complaints, Kaiser knows this statement is false. Their reason for terminating me, and many others, is a complete fabrication.”
“Kaiser Permanente takes matters of security and inappropriate behavior amongst our staff seriously. When we investigate and confirm evidence of illegal behavior, we address it, notify law enforcement and cooperate fully with their investigation, as appropriate,” a spokesperson for the Oakland-based health system told the Mercury News. “We are committed to fully complying with all applicable laws and regulations and demonstrating high ethical standards in everything we do.”
