Linear Systems

Some excerpts from the California 4th District Court of Appeals in their ruling allowing the Catsouras family to proceed in suit against the California Highway Patrol:

• "It is important to prevent future harm to other families by encouraging the CHP to establish and enforce policies to preclude its officers from engaging in such acts ever again."

• "If defendants are held liable, the CHP will have an incentive to ensure future compliance with that policy.  Or, if no such policy actually exists, then the CHP will have an incentive to establish one."

• "One of those factors is the prevention of future harm.  It is a sad day, to be sure, when those upon whom we rely to protect and serve do the opposite, and make the decapitated corpse of a teenage girl the subject of international gossip and disrespect, and inflict devastating emotional harm on the parents and siblings of that girl.  The CHP should know better.  Every one of its officers should know better.  The CHP is in a position to ensure that this does not happen again."
  

The full 64-page ruling from the California Court of Appeals can be found here (Adobe Acrobat required to view).

Does your agency have and enforce written Policies & Procedures regarding digital information and/or evidence?  This is precisely why DIMS was created:

• To automate and implement enforcement of your agency's SOPs.
• Maintain compliance with regulatory guidelines.
• Reduce your agency's financial liability and challenges to your agency's credibility.
• Implement & enforce user access security to maintain & document the chain of custody.

The cost of litigation, let alone the potential $20 million award for compensatory damages, greatly exceeds the cost of implementing a Digital Information Management System solution from Linear Systems.  Click here to learn more about the DIMS solution or contact us for references to agencies using DIMS.

Click to read the original article (Adobe Acrobat required to view).