Auditor's Office News

King County audit wins award: ICE Access to County Data Shows Privacy Program Gaps

Each year, local government audit organizations from around the U.S. and Canada submit their best performance audit reports to be judged by their peers. This year our audit of privacy was an award-winner. Congratulations to supervisor Ben Thompson and the audit team Megan Ko and Laina Poon. The entire office contributed in some way to this win by conducting quality review, feedback, graphic design, proofreading, and other support.

In this audit, we found that King County made progress on its commitment to protect residents’ privacy but had not put a robust privacy program in place. In this context, federal immigration agents maintained access to nonpublic information collected by law enforcement agencies, in violation of county code.

Local government judges evaluated several key elements, such as the potential for significant impact, the persuasiveness of the conclusions, the focus on improving government efficiency and effectiveness, and clarity and conciseness. Judges specifically highlighted the immediate impact of our audit for vulnerable county residents in part because the county implemented many of the recommendations before the report was even published. The judges valued the report’s readability and inclusion of visuals to support messages. You can read the report here .

Work in Progress

Upcoming briefings and publications

View King County Council's agendas, minutes, and videos

• Contracting—Women/Minority-owned Businesses
  Tuesday, May 11, at 9:30 AM | GAO Committee

Audits and oversight in progress

The 2021-2022 work program outlines work to be initiated in this biennium. The following projects are underway. Some audit work is slowing and/or scopes are shifting in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

• King County's Pandemic Response
  • Emergency Spending
  • Employee Safety
  • Telework
• Jail Safety
• Puget Sound Emergency Radio Network
• Transit Capital Program
• Pandemic Preparedness Planning
• County Fund Balances
• Civil Protection Orders