Louisiana’s Department of Public Safety says it has taken steps to address problems detailed in a new state audit, including a lack of financial controls that led to misappropriation of more than $69,000 by three Office of Motor Vehicle employees who were fired and arrested.
The report from the Legislative Auditor also found there were inadequate technology controls in a system that processed more than $700 million in revenue from riverboat casinos and motor vehicle offices. That created the potential for improper reporting of revenue and unauthorized access to confidential data—although the audit found no instances in which that had happened.
In a response, department undersecretary Jill Boudreaux outlined technological and policy changes aimed at correcting the problems. The financial review was for the fiscal year that ended June 30.
The misappropriation of Office of Motor Vehicle money was discovered after motorists who made payments to have their drivers’ licenses reinstated and their records cleared of driving violations discovered that their records had not been cleared. Officials eventually learned that transactions had either not been posted or had been modified in the OMV computer system.
In response, Boudreaux says the OMV has implemented a computer fraud monitoring program. She also describes steps to limit access to confidential data. The Associated Press has the full story.
