CONNECTICUT COMPUTER THEFT AT STATE AGENCIES Sunday Random Notes « DanMalloy.com

By BRIAN DURAND

1) Apparently the state laptop stolen this summer that contained the social security numbers of some 106,000 Connecticut taxpayers was part of a larger trend involving missing state equipment. And, according to The Courant, some state agencies aren’t reporting all of their losses:

Plenty of the losses involve computer equipment. A Courant review of the forms - which also document cases of stolen money and items - shows that the infamous tax department computer was just one of dozens of state-owned laptops lost or stolen in recent years, along with thousands of other items worth millions of dollars.

Exactly how much property is stolen or lost in a given year is hard to determine because some state agencies don’t comply with the law that requires reporting such losses, according to State Auditors Kevin Johnston and Robert Jaekle, who also are supposed to get copies of the forms.

“Some agencies fill out their forms with the littlest information possible, while others just don’t fill them out at all,” Johnston said.

Obviously, occasional theft or misplaced equipment is going to happen. However for a state agency not to report those losses is unacceptable. Taxpayers should know that the government equipment they’re paying for is being properly accounted for, and they certainly should be made aware of any lost equipment that may contain their personal information.