[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 37 (Wednesday, February 25, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8707-8708]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-4203]


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POSTAL SERVICE


Privacy Act of 1974; System of Records

AGENCY: Postal Service.

ACTION: Notice of proposal to revise system of records.

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SUMMARY: The Postal Service proposes to revise the existing system of 
records entitled, ``Office of Inspector General--Investigative File 
System, 300.010'', originally published in the Federal Register on 
October 15, 1998 (63 FR 55416). This system of records, maintained by 
the Postal Service Office of Inspector General (OIG), is being revised 
to comply with newly enacted requirements in section 6(e)(7) of the 
Inspector General Act of 1978. A new routine use will be added to allow 
disclosure of information, as necessary, to authorized members of the 
President's Council on Integrity and Efficiency (PCIE) and other 
Inspector General Offices, which on a periodic basis will conduct a 
peer review of OIG investigative files and practices to assess and 
report on the quality of OIG investigations.

DATES: The revision will become effective without further notice 30 
days from the date of this publication unless comments are received on 
or before that date which result in a contrary determination.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be mailed or delivered to: Marta Erceg, 
Director, Legal Services, Office of Inspector General, 1735 N. Lynn 
Street, Arlington, Virginia 22209-2020.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice is in accordance with the 
Privacy Act requirement that agencies publish their amended systems of 
records in the Federal Register when there is a revision, change, or 
addition.
    The new section 6(e)(7) of the Inspector General Act (effective in 
2003) requires establishment of a peer review process to ensure that 
``adequate internal safeguards and management procedures continue to 
exist within [Offices of Inspector General].'' The OIG has reviewed 
Postal Service system of records 300.010 and has determined that it 
must be revised to add a routine use in order to comply with the 
requirement that each Office of Inspector General subject itself to 
periodic peer reviews of its exercise of law enforcement powers.
    The objectives of the peer review are to assess whether Office of 
Inspector General investigative programs have adequate internal 
safeguards and management procedures, foster high-quality 
investigations and investigative processes, ensure that the highest 
levels of professionalism are maintained, and promote consistency in 
investigative standards and practices within the Inspector General 
investigative community.
    Under the review process, the exercise of the law enforcement 
powers by each Office of Inspector General shall be reviewed 
periodically by another Office of Inspector General or by a committee 
of Inspectors General. The added routine use will allow disclosure of 
information from OIG investigative files to members of the PCIE and to 
other Federal Offices of Inspector General, as necessary, for the 
purpose of conducting such qualitative assessment reviews of the OIG's 
investigative operations.
    Accordingly, the Postal Service is adding the following routine use 
to the existing system of records:
USPS 300.010

SYSTEM NAME:
    Office of Inspector General--Investigative File System, 300.010.
* * * * *

ROUTINE USES OF RECORDS MAINTAINED IN THE SYSTEM, INCLUDING CATEGORIES 
OF USERS AND PURPOSES OF SUCH USES:
* * * * *
    Other routine uses are as follows:
* * * * * *
    12. A record may be disclosed to other Federal Offices of Inspector 
General and/or to the President's Council on Integrity and Efficiency 
for purposes of conducting qualitative assessment reviews of internal 
safeguards and management procedures employed in

[[Page 8708]]

investigative operations of the Office of Inspector General.

Stanley F. Mires,
Chief Counsel, Legislative.
[FR Doc. 04-4203 Filed 2-20-04; 3:31 pm]
BILLING CODE 7710-12-P