(a) If the inspector general determines that there is reasonable cause to believe that an employee or outside agency has engaged in any illegal activity, he or she shall report the nature and details of the activity on a timely basis to the local district attorney or the Attorney General.
(b) The inspector general does not have any enforcement power.
(c) Every investigation, including, but not limited to, all investigative files and work-product, shall be kept confidential, except that the inspector general may issue any report of an investigation that has been substantiated, keeping confidential the identity of the individual or individuals involved, or release any findings resulting from an investigation conducted pursuant to this article that is deemed necessary to serve the interests of the district.
(d) This section does not limit any authority conferred upon the Attorney General or any other department or agency of government to investigate any matter.
(e) Except as authorized in this section, or if called upon to testify in any court or proceeding at law, any disclosure of information by the inspector general or that office that was acquired pursuant to a subpoena of the private books, documents, or papers of the person subpoenaed, is punishable as a misdemeanor.
(Amended by Stats. 2003, Ch. 62, Sec. 39. Effective January 1, 2004. Repealed as of January 1, 2025, pursuant to Section 35400.)