MEMORANDUM
From: Michael J. Merritt, USN Retired/Writer
PO BOX 187
Newton, IA 50208
cipher.hunter@cipherphoenix.com
To: Jasper County Sheriff’s Office
2300 Law Center Drive
Newton, IA 50208
641-792-5912
Subj: IOWA OPEN RECORDS REQUEST – JASPER COUNTY, IA SHERIFF’S OFFICE – #004
Ref: 1. Iowa Code Title I State Sovereignty and Management, Chapter 22 Examination of Public Records (Open Records)
1. Requested Information
(a.) All Jasper County, IA Sheriff’s Office electronic mail correspondence, including attachments mentioning Mike Merritt, Mike J Merritt, Mike J. Merritt, Mike James Merritt, Michael Merritt, Michael J Merritt, Michael J. Merritt, Michael James Merritt, Facebook, block, social media, phoenixharbor.com, and castlephoenix.com during 01 JAN 2019 at 0001 local time through 18 OCT 2022 at 2359 local time stored and preserved at domain: jaspersheriff.org – or any other maintained automated information system (AIS), information system (IS), or commercial cloud-based information system belonging to the Jasper County, IA Sheriff’s Office.
(1.) Confirmation jaspersheriff.org is hosted, stored, and preserved at: jaspersheriff- org.mail.protection.outlook.com
(a) 12 months of billing for this commercially hosted cloud-based information system
service.
(b.) Name and annual income of the Jasper County, IA Sheriff’s Office elected, appointed, contracted, hired employee(s) or authorized users that are authorized to access and maintain the following social media assets; Meta Platforms Inc. – Facebook Page – https://www.facebook.com/jaspercountyso
(c.) Jasper County, IA Sheriff’s Office web traffic history showing elected, appointed, contracted, hired employee(s), or authorized users accessing the following web address (URL) on any maintained domain, automated information system (AIS), information system (IS), or commercial cloud-based information system belonging to Jasper County, IA: https://www.facebook.com/jaspercountyso
(d.) Jasper County, IA Sheriff’s Office web traffic history showing elected, appointed, contracted, hired employee(s) or authorized users accessing the following web address (URL) on any maintained domain, automated information system (AIS), information system (IS), or commercial cloud-based information system belonging to Jasper County, IA: https://www.facebook.com/settings?tab=blocking
(e.) Jasper County, IA Sheriff’s Office web traffic history showing elected, appointed, contracted, hired employee(s), or authorized users accessing any web address (URL) including the word “block” on any maintained domain, automated information system (AIS), information system (IS), or commercial cloud-based information system belonging to Jasper County, IA.
(f.) The desired format of requested data: Thumb drive (at Jasper County published rate):
(g.) The originator of this request is not responsible for any cost generated by the production or organization of this data if the clerical, professional, clerical staff, legal fees, or any other required actions or cost exceed 10 hours or $1000 (whichever comes first) without prior coordination and approval from the originator of this request.
(h.) Distribution of Requested Data: Priority Mail sent to the originator of this request. Respectfully,
2. Conclusion
It would seem logical for Jasper County, IA, to utilize one domain (co.jasper.ia.us) and consolidate all information system resources under that domain instead of each department having a separate domain, as this government body has implemented. Consolidating all county assets within one domain will improve efficiency, productivity, management, record request responses, and lower cost to taxpayers. Individual personnel should have their own account and electronic mail address; however, there should be shared electronic mail addresses that can be reallocated to newly elected, appointed, contracted, hired employees, or authorized users. This implementation will improve the efficiency of daily operations and personnel turnover when there is a change of command regarding an elected or appointed position.
Jasper County, IA, needs to improve its information systems security posture by not publishing electronic mail addresses to the public internet. Two variables enable authentication to an information system:
1. Username (electronic mail address)
2. Password
Jasper County, IA, and many government bodies perpetuate this paradigm on the public internet, simplifying while increasing the possibility of unauthorized access to their information systems.
To maintain contact with constituents while improving information security, Jasper County, IA need to implement public mailboxes that are generic for each elected, appointed, or departmental position and map those public mailboxes to internal authenticated user accounts.
Examples of the only electronic mail addresses that should be published publicly online:
- supervisors@co.jasper.ia.us
- attorney@co.jasper.ia.us
- sheriff@co.jasper.ia.us
- auditor@co.jasper.ia.us
- recorder@co.jasper.ia.us
- health@co.jasper.ia.us
- records@co.jasper.ia.us
- Other Departments/Offices that interact with the public.
By mapping individual user accounts internally with positional accounts that are published publicly, Jasper County, IA, will be positioned to improve information security while still providing public accommodations (electronic communications) for the public to utilize while executing their rights as protected by Section 2 and 7 of Article 1 of the Constitution of the State of Iowa and the 1st Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America. At the same time, protecting actual authentication and electronic mail address information for user accounts of Jasper County, IA information systems from being harvested by hackers off the Jasper County, IA website.
The originator of this correspondence was a United States Navy Electronic Key Management System Manager Instructor with four years of classroom management and teaching experience. As well as a qualified United States Navy Master Training Specialist with experience teaching E6-E9 enlisted personnel and O1-O4 United States Navy officers. The originator of this correspondence stands by to offer the Jasper County, IA Sheriff’s Office training regarding evolving investigative case files to a cloud-based relational database structure that the originator of this records request believes will improve deputy collaboration, evidence categorization, and improved case closure time.
***
John, I respectfully submit, if there are any questions regarding why my request to your department is considerably smaller in comparison to the request I submitted to the Jasper County, IA Supervisors, and Jasper County, IA Attorney Nicholson it is because I am 100% Iowan. After growing up cleaning my parent’s barn I have learned not to waste my time digging where evidence indicates there is no horse shit.
You have my respect and my appreciation for your service.
Respectfully,
Michael J. Merritt, USN Retired/Writer
Founder: cipherphoenix.com
Creative Writer/Musician
Information Warfare Specialist
Information Systems Manager
PO BOX 187
Newton, IA 50208
cipher.hunter@cipherphoenix.com
