44-5-405. Personnel. Each automated or manual criminal justice information system, except those that are or may be maintained by courts of criminal jurisdiction, shall establish the following procedures to ensure that personnel security is achieved and maintained:

(1) Applicants for employment and persons presently employed to work with or in a computer center or manual system that processes criminal justice information are subject to investigation by the employing agency to establish their honesty and fitness to handle sensitive information. Consent to such an investigation may be a prerequisite to the processing of an employment application.

(2) The character and fitness of criminal justice information system personnel to handle sensitive information, including personnel working with manual criminal justice file systems and terminal operators as well as personnel working with the system at a central computer, shall be reviewed by the employing agency periodically. Serious violations or deficiencies under this section are grounds for dismissal.

(3) Each criminal justice agency shall develop and maintain an inservice training program and security manual to ensure that each employee who works with or has access to the criminal justice information system annually reviews and understands the nature and importance of the system's security provisions.

(4) With regard to automated systems, the criminal justice agency shall screen and may reject for employment and initiate or cause to be initiated administrative action relating to employees having direct access to criminal history record information as required by federal regulations in 28 CFR section 20.21(f) or any amendment thereto.