23-100 Transitioning from Lexis Nexis Accurint to Thomson Reuter’s Clear
Department Notice
This document is not an official representation of the published policy. To access the official signed policy, please contact us at [email protected].
Effective July 1, 2023, the Department is transitioning from LexisNexis’ Accurint to Thomson Reuter’s Clear for Law Enforcement. Current LexisNexis Accurint accounts will terminate on June 30, 2023. Clear, like Accurint, is a web-based resource which provides law enforcement with comprehensive background information on individuals and businesses. This tool will assist in identifying and locating suspects, victims, and witnesses.
Members utilizing Clear for Law Enforcement to search for “Personally Identifiable Information” (PII) during investigations shall adhere to the “Right to Know” and “Need to Know” policy concerning all Information System Databases used by the Department. All use of Clear shall be for law enforcement purposes only. Members shall not furnish information queried from Clear to another person not authorized to view it. Upon Login, members will be required to select a “Permissible Purpose” for the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLB), the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act of 1994 (DPPA), and the Voter Permissible Uses (VOTERS). All queries shall be completed by entering an incident or CAD number, as the reason for searching in the “Reference” field. The subject of the search (e.g., person, phone, address, etc.) shall be directly referenced in one of the following:
- CAD Entry
- Incident Report
- Investigator’s Chronological
Administration Bureau, Background Investigations, Internal Affairs Division, Sex/Arson Registration Units, etc., shall indicate the reason for a search in the reference box (e.g., Background Investigation, Internal Affairs Investigation, etc.) when an incident or CAD number is unavailable. In addition, members performing a search on behalf of another member shall indicate that member’s name and star number in the reference box, in addition to the “Permissible Purpose.”
The Department may conduct periodic audits of the PII obtained from Clear, and members may be required to submit the above referenced materials to validate their searches. Members not adhering to the preceding guidelines may have their access suspended and be required to prepare a memorandum explaining their action.
All sworn members will automatically be granted access to Clear through the MyApps portal located in the CCSF employee gateway.
Non-sworn members requiring access to Clear shall submit a memo stating the reason for access through their chain of command. The member may contact the Help Desk at (415) 558-3877, or via email at [email protected] and supply a copy of the approved memo to obtain access to Clear.
Members should register for a CLEAR training course. The registration details and links for the CLEAR training can be found in the attachment.
Questions regarding CLEAR can be emailed to [email protected].
/s/
WILLIAM SCOTT
Chief of Police
Per DN 23-152, all sworn & non-sworn members shall electronically acknowledge this Department document in PowerDMS within (30) thirty calendar days of issuance. Members whose duties are relevant to this document shall be held responsible for compliance. Any questions regarding this policy should be sent to [email protected] who will provide additional information.