Nine Illinois Workers Face Suspension For Accessing Obama's Home Address

CHICAGO — Nine Illinois Secretary of State employees face suspension without pay because they looked up President-elect Barack Obama's street address in state records, officials said Thursday.

"It's a violation of our policy to be looking up records inappropriately," said Dave Druker, a spokesman for Secretary of State Jesse White.

Curiosity motivated the employees to look up Obama's South Side address, Druker said. The Secret Service was involved in the investigation, he said. The employees' names were not released.

The employees can appeal the disciplinary action, which is a minimum three-day suspension without pay, Druker said.

An Obama spokesman did not immediately return an e-mail message from The Associated Press on Thursday after business hours, and no one answered the telephone at his transition press office.

Obama's South Side neighborhood has been a popular stop for curious tourists and locals alike, although tight security and closed streets make it impossible to get close to the mansion.

Last month, Verizon Wireless fired an unspecified number of employees it said had accessed Obama's old cell phone records without permission.

Verizon Wireless voluntarily disclosed the privacy breach and apologized to Obama. No voice mails or e-mails were accessed, his aides said.

Comments

[ramapo]

How dumb. Just use PeopleFinder which happily provides his address.

[08politicaljunkie]

It was quite silly of them to use their jobs to do it when the rest of the world knows where he lives.

[SuperFobby]

I don't get it. I live like five blocks away from the man in Hyde Park and it's pretty easy to tell where he lives on account of, you know, the SECRET SERVICE BLOCKADE.

Since it's not illegal for me to tell friends where he lives, and since everyone in Hyde Park can tell everyone else in Chicago, who can tell everyone else in Illinois, what's the point of acting like it's a secret?

[formerprosecutor]

The secrecy is not the issue. The goverment employees accessed data bases outside the scope of their employment (for personal reasons) a big NO NO for govenment employees.

[whcjr46]

Why suspend them, just fire their stinkin asses and be done with it!

[gi]

Put them in jail.

[Val49]

BOGUES, I agree with you it is nice but its a long way from being a masion or even look like mansions that I see here in Georgia especially in Alpharetta and Buckhead.

[atlantajoe]

When "Joe the Plumber" had his records checked by several Ohio state agency employees, Huffers had nothing to say. These employees were Obama supporters and lied about why the broke the rules. The worst was Jones-kelly who stated that she had joe checked out because he might by a business and that it was her job to see how he came into that money to buy a business and to check to see if he owed child support. The Democrat Gov gave her and others a slap on the wrist. Of course since they are dems, she and the other liars get to keep thier jobs.

[Suzanne525]

Please. There is no comparison between needing to protect the PE (or POTUS) and Joe the guy who does plumbing work. Any and all breaches to security involving Obama must be investigated. Especially with so many racist troll$ out there.

[atlantajoe]

So when gov't employees break the rules snooping on a private citizen it is ok if that citizen is a plumber. Please!

[hortonhearsawho]

That is a fictional character...any tax liens lately?

[atlantajoe]

What is a fictional character?

[Charles1Goodwin]

They got a lot more than 3 days suspension.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20081120/joe-the-plumber-records/#

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20081121/joe-the-plumber-records/

And here are two "Huffers" articles about it.

[atlantajoe]

Go to columbusdispatch.com and read an updated story on what went on then you will understand why 80% of those in the dispatch poll said Jones-Kelly and others should be fired. Pay close attention to the part about the employee who was told she could be fired if she did not help in the cover up. Or you can read a story a month old , put out while the cover up by dems was ongoing. Where are the cries of whistle blower intimidation.

[bogues]

I find it funny that the story refers to Obama's home as a mansion. It is a nice home but a mansion!

[atlantajoe]

It's an energy wasting McMansion, just another example of greed. Four people do not need that much space.

[hortonhearsawho]

just becasue black people walk in the back entrance does not make it a mansion knucklehead.

[JScott]

Woo that's so left over from when John Edwards was pres. ya gotta stop it, remember McCains multiple residences and cars, now that is a BIG carbon footprint.

[formerprosecutor]

Says who? You? And you are ...?

[Deparis]

Have you been stalking them to know the exact number of people who live in the house? Did you ever ask yourself if the Obamas have some family members living with them?

Atlantajoe-the-Stalker, is that you?

[harriettubman]

When will people learn to do their jobs? Between hospital employees snooping thru Farrah Fawcett & Britney Spears' medical records then selling the info to breaching Obama's passport info, his address, his phone records and anything else they could snoop thru, it is time to send a strong message to employess about automatic termination.

Of course Obama's address is easy to find. Anyone in Chicago knows the area where he lives is primarily older, historic homes. However, that doesn't give any employees the right to access any of his information. None.

[Grunty1]

Must be bubble people who didn't read the Verizon story a few short weeks ago.

[formerprosecutor]

A million for a house in Chcago is a "mansion"; ? maybe the press was being generous (nice) I didn't you could buy an apartment in Chicago for a mill. Well, maybe now you can.

[hortonhearsawho]

they didn't mean a mil. for down payment did they?

[formerprosecutor]

If I remeber correctly; in disclousres the home is estimated at 1.3 m; not a mansion even out of the "Big Cities"

[JScott]

Dunno about now maybe a mill back at the peak of the market.
In LA there are TRACT homes that are a mill and they are nothing special, and don't ferget the 1400 sf cottage in Millbrae Ca. back at the peak of the market.

[inthecolour]

this stuff is so creepy.

first going thru his phone records and now this?

i honestly don't even know if ppl are just that fascinated/intrigued by him or if these ppl want to do him harm.

[Changeizgood]

You do KNOW that AT&T and VERIZON are the cable companies that helped Bush with the wiretapping right? All I can say is "Back up Mutha Buckers! Don't even try it. Barack is already gonna have to sweep every nook and cranny in the White House for listening devices. These people are going to go to jail if they keep it up.

Leaks and BS going on, since he has been selecting his cabinet members, blackmail and the like.
Enough. The PEOPLE put him in the office. You want to know what he's saying, pay attention to your constituents, in these troubled times.

It also sounds like they want to be in theloop of things, when he takes over the Oval, to cover their asses.
I will be talking to HQ on this. His safety is above all else. NOT THIS TIME NIXONITES NEOCONMEN.

[4wehttam]

Why do these workers get a suspension WITHOUT pay and the verizon people who looked into his cell records get time off WITH pay. A crime is a crime, simple as that.

[sasidechick]

"...verizon people who looked into his cell records get time off WITH pay..."

Um, the article actually says "Verizon Wireless fired an unspecified number of employees".

I don't know how you got they got off with pay when they were FIRED!!

[roald]

The suspension with pay was during the investigation of which of the employees had reason to access the records. Once the investigation was complete, those (if any) who acted properly were returned to their jobs and the ones who hadn't were terminated. That sounds like the proper way to have handled the situation.

[the964kid]

Dummies....

[follow the money]

It sounds like a law has been broken. Somebody ought to be sued, fined, and thrown in jail...That is how to teach others to leave official records alone..
..DO NOT TOUCH!....

Including everyone's health records, social security numbers, and those types of records..Somebody should be sued, fined, Jailed.....and if this isnt harsh enough, take away their bank accounts, freeze their accounts, take away homes, cars, possessions, tv sets, everything...to their underwear...

THAT, should teach you a lesson for braking a law, dont you think? I think of it like a law of privacy..
I hope that all of you understand where I am coming from...respect other people's privacy, because what if this happened to you, how would you feel....would you feel betrayed, by our system? You break a law, and I think you should pay dearly, it would teach you to respect, the law...If you commited a crime outside the US, you'd have your hands chopped off.....maybe thats the kind of law we need?

[SophieAmrain]

Please spare us your fascination with barbaric punishment.
Ever heard of the law of commensurability?
Also, not every country outside the US is Islamic, hamdullilah.

[GingersPawPaws]

Nine Illinois Secretary of State employees face suspension without pay because they looked up President-elect Barack Obama's street address in state records,
BULLSHI$$$$ , Suspension? I say Fire their a$$es they had no Business doing that! End of Story!