L.A. County coroner's staff improperly viewed Michael Jackson's death certificate

Los Angeles County coroner’s officials said today that they have looked into security breaches involving the investigation of Michael Jackson’s death, including hundreds of improper views of the pop star’s death certificate and the discovery of weaknesses in two other computer systems in which more sensitive records were stored.

At least a half-dozen coroner’s staff members were among those who inappropriately accessed Jackson’s death certificate, officials said today. Within two weeks of his death, the certificate had been viewed more than 300 times.

In some cases, staff members appear to have printed copies before it became a public record. Earlier this month, coroner’s officials warned employees to cease, cautioning that they had previously been admonished about the security hold on the Jackson case.

"There's only one person in the investigation of Mr. Jackson who needed to have a copy of the death certificate, and that was the investigator," said Craig Harvey, chief coroner investigator.

Harvey called any access of the Electronic Death Registration System for personal use “not appropriate.”

In a July 9 e-mail reviewed by The Times, a coroner’s captain told staff that future abuses of the system would result in disciplinary action. Staff members who had printed a copy of the death certificate were advised to destroy it.

Harvey said he learned that coroner’s employees were inappropriately accessing Jackson’s death certificate after he received a tip alleging that a funeral home employee created a fake death certificate for Jackson in the computer system.

Harvey did not uncover any fraudulent death certificate, but did discover the names of coroner's employees who had looked at the record even though they had no role in the Jackson investigation.

He said he had not contacted any law enforcement agency about the actions, saying he believed that internal rules had been broken, not any laws.

Death records in the EDRS system, which is state-supervised, can be accessed by anyone with a state-issued password, including employees at coroner’s offices, funeral homes, hospitals, and county and state registrar's offices. Users input information on death certificates that must be signed off on by doctors or coroners and made public by the state registrar.

Coroner's employees are supposed to look up cases "strictly in the performance of your official coroner duties,” according to the e-mail reviewed this month.

In addition to issues with the electronic access to Jackson’s death certificate, Harvey said that his office also had trouble securing two other computer systems in which they kept Jackson’s death investigation reports.

Investigation reports, which are not public records, typically are accessible only to investigators and other employees with office-issued passwords. Once employees log in, they can access others’ investigations — unless the reports are locked.

The investigator’s reports on Jackson's death were locked from the start, Harvey said, meaning access should have been available only to employees with the rank of captain or higher. Because of the high interest in Jackson, coroner’s officials took the added precaution of restricting access to only a few administrators. Harvey said the hard copy of the investigation was stored under lock and key.

Still, after the investigation started, they discovered vulnerabilities in the computer systems that might have allowed employees unauthorized access, Harvey said. He declined to say what those weaknesses were.

“We took extra steps to plug those holes,” he said.

--Molly Hennessy-Fiske

Comments

[Fiona]

~YAWN~

[david]

They all should be fired...oh but these are county employees and you can't do that. This must be some computer network they have there. and the security setup like, wow!
I guess they have more then one Mickey Mouse MCSE working there.

[Sam]

Nothing is private in this man's life...or death.

[syltoots]

well, i am not surprised what else could be peculiar about this investigation
it seems one hurdle after another
someone has something to hide; stop this madness
come clean

[john]

I would expect those people to be fired, yet again government shows that it can't operate ethically-they want more tax dollars!!!

If the Board of Supervisors had any backbone they pull a Ronald Reagan and fire the lot.

[Liz]

This is outrageous! The offenders, like many of those in the UCLA scandal, should be fired. But because they're county employees, they'll get away with this.

Disgraceful.

[sofie]

Michael Jackson even though he was a super star medical information is private he still has a mother, children,sisters, brothers and father how do you think they feel about this. there is always a false excuse when you people want to hide the truth fire the whole dam office. that way they will always remember to keep their nose where it belongs in there own business. Every one is trying to make money off of this poor man just can not let him rest in peace it was hard when he was alive and even harder when he gone. God rest his sole. Michael Jackson is singing in the heavenly choir now no pain, no suffering, and don't have to worry about what the people in this world have to say about him any more. My heart goes out to his family I am so sorry you still have to endure some of the things Michael had to endure even after he is gone. God bless you and keep you is my prayer. Amen, Amen, Amen.

[Dave]

So what that they looked at the death certificate? It will be a public record anyway and anyone in the world will be able to look at it.

Now if someone stole the coroners photos and tried to sell these, this person should be fired at once. Not that they would care as they probably could sell these for millions of dollars.

[Jo Archbold]

Of course they did this, next thing we know, there will be the Coroners photo's.

How long before that one occurs?

For Goodness sakes can't anyone LEAVE MICHAEL ALONE?
Just let these Officials get their jobs done and bring the Murderers
out in Public and let us decide the Justice to be handed out.

This case sickens me.
The People taking advantage of their positions to gain financial growth over Michael's death deserve nothing but pain and sorrow to the extent Michael suffered from those who continually abused him.

Have YOU NOT LISTENED to Michael's music over the Years?

Make this World a better place...........and LEAVE HIM ALONE.

HE DID MORE THAN HIS FAIR SHARE.

Jo Archbold.

[DanO]

I don't get it. Isn't a death certificate a public record?

[faye colclough]

I wish I would have meet Micheal personal. it seems as thought all the black generation of men are either dead or in prison.

[Roert]

If the county were to have any integrity, they would have some action NOW, not for the NEXT time. Some days off at least, would seem to be in order, but since it seems all employees that work there are given the advisements on rules and consequences of violations, terminations would be appropriate to institute some credibilty in policies and any NEXT times would be likely to be avoided.

Like others in these opinions, the county like ofher govt. agencies just picks and chooses what it will enforce when it comes to internal actions. The fact is that if these people were favored, they stay, if they were on someone's s- list, they'd be walking.

ON top of it all, the unions probably have become so entrenched in power, that represented workers will be shielded and only non-represented employees bear any risk of the counties hit-and-miss application of any rules- that is, if they are aware of thei responsibility to apply them.

Knowing a bit of so many examples of internal ignorance and office politics in the county system just makes me see how this is going to be a free pass because anything else is too much work for them to figure out how to properly accomplish, and besides, they don't care.

[jai]

Does HIPAA not apply to the coroner's office? If these actions had taken place within a hospital setting, they clearly would have been fined and/or fired. These individuals did not examine his body; therefore, they did have a "need to know'. Why track these individuals if no punishment is to be given? They do not have the right to exclude an individual's right to privacy with the expiration of life.

[Robert Kolbe]

Do any Californians feel embarrassed by this?

Are they going to screw this investigation up?

I remember one out of LA that went horribly wrong --- OJ Simpson anyone?

[pamila]

I just wish who ever did this to michael would lissen to there guilty concious and come clean so michael can rest in peace thats all he ever wanted was to be left alone by all the tabloids but see even now after his death he isn't left alone WHY dont you all ever lissen to him even now just stop DOGEN HIM AROUND JUST LEAVE MICKY ALONE GOT IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[dorothy]

Fire the whole bunch. To many times this sort of thing happens. When are people going to learn? When we step up and prove to the workers that they have rules to go by for a reason.

Think about what you are doing to the kids. They are the ones that will someday read this trash.

Do the right thing, FIRE THE WHOLE BUNCH< PROVE TO THEM THAT RULES ARE MADE FOR A REASON!
Apoligize to Michaels children, and mean what you say. Then leave your job and don't come back.

[Jen Andalou]

I am not certain why anyone is surprised at the breach in privacy. It is VERY CLEAR that the Los Angeles County Coroner office hasn't the technology, fortitude or understanding how to keep private information from being leaked. This is not the first time that this has happenednor will it be the last. Most cities have little or no protection against YOUR private information and more often than not, fail to treat peoples private information with the security and respect that it requires. The Los Angeles County Coroner's office should be embarrassed.

[Sandy Sullateskee]

it's just a matter of time before this death certificate pops up on national tv, tabloids etc. If the employees names are known why isn't discplinary action being taken now? since when is it "not" illegal to interfere with a criminal investigation?and why haven't we heard anything about the Nation of Islam people that were involved in Michael's life? Weren't they living @ Michael's house? Also, i sw some news footage about a friend of Michael's commenting to Michael about his thinness and Michael replied "I can't eat they're trying to kill me". What about that? Who was Michael referring to? So many questions, so many people still wanting to get rich off of Michael and the saddest part of it all is that Michael Jackson should not be dead, drug addicted or not.

[THEONDRA]

THIS IS RIDICULOUS!!! WHY ARENT THESE PEOPLE BEING DISMISSED? I WORK IN A HOSPITAL IN RISK MANAGEMENT AND I CAN TELL YOU THAT IF ANY EMPLOYEE OPENS UP A PATIENT RECORD JUST TO SNOOP THERE IS NO SECOND CHANCES, THE LA COUNTY CORONERS OFFICE NEEDS TO GET IT TOGETHER, BECAUSE IF THERE WOULD EVER BE A CRIMINAL CASE BROUGHT FORWARD, WE KNOW WHERE THE CORONERS OFFICE WOULD STAND. THE JACKSON FAMILY SHOULD NOT SIT QUIETLY ON THIS, ESPECIALLY THOSE THEY KNOW MADE COPIES OF HIS DEATH CERTIFICATE, OMG THEY COULDNT BE KICKED OUT OF THE DOOR FAST ENOUGH. THAT CORONERS OFFICE OBVIOUSLY HAS NO INTEGRITY. MICHAEL WOULD HAVE HAD BETTER CARE AND PRIVACY SOMEWHERE ELSE BECAUSE THIS CORONERS OFFICE IS INEPT.

[roger this]

all people care about is money.their all out for them selfs

[Sandra in Phila]

Every one of those employees should be fired NOW! Not only that, but MJ's body was just lying there for any doctors and others who were curious to take a look at it, and possibly cell phone pictures as well. This is an outrage! I thought medical records were supposed to be private. Also, the emergency paramedics who worked on Jackson were also revealing details, such as his lily-white skin and being bald. They should be forbidden to reveal ANYTHING about a patient's condition. And who snapped that photo of MJ with tubes up his nose being placed in the ambulance. They should go to jail.

[Peaches]

Ha. You know if his death certificate and coroners photo's ended up on the internet, YOU ALL would be just as guilty as these people. Curiousity gets the best of us, get off your high horses, you would have done the SAME thing!