TCOLE outlines statewide rollout of 'Otter' records repository and retention rules
Loading...
Summary
TCOLE staff briefed commissioners on the OpenText 'Otter' records repository soft launch, user roles and license limits, retention schedules for personnel files and SecureShare materials, and a May rollout of an assignment-status manager ahead of full statewide launch.
The Texas Commission on Law Enforcement heard an in-depth briefing on the new OpenText records repository—nicknamed "Otter"—and the agency's plan to move personnel and department files into a centralized, searchable system. Gretchen Grigsby, the commission's government and external relations lead, said Otter is a TCOLE–OpenText product now in a two-week soft launch with geographically and sized-diverse early adopters, and staff will evaluate readiness for a statewide rollout around May 1.
Otter will support two core user roles, Grigsby said: file uploaders and background investigators. Under the current contract small agencies will receive two user licenses, and the largest agencies will have up to 10. Training materials and reference guides are posted to an early-adopter feedback site where agencies can log suggestions and questions.
Why it matters: TCOLE plans to replace its current SecureShare file-sharing process with Otter to standardize uploads of personnel 'a files' (the confidential statewide employment database) and department-level files. Grigsby emphasized that personnel 'a files' have a life-plus-75-years retention, while SecureShare/g-file materials will have roughly a 60-day shared retention window for cross-agency background checks.
Commissioners pressed staff on education and rollout logistics. Staff said they are encouraging agencies to digitize and categorize personnel files in advance and will publish training videos and job aids; the agency is prepared to seek funding next session to expand licensing capacity if demand requires it. A May 18 deployment of an assignment-status manager will allow agencies to designate file uploaders and background investigators in TCOLE systems ahead of the full launch.
Grigsby also said the records group is mindful of cybersecurity and public-information constraints: the personnel file portion of Otter is only accessible to hiring agencies for the narrow purpose of background checks and requires release authorization from the subject, while some departmental files will remain transferable between agencies via a separate SecureShare folder. She called the soft launch feedback a critical step to refine the user experience and messaging.
Next steps: TCOLE will evaluate the soft-launch feedback at the end of the trial period around May 1, publish final rollout materials for agencies and continue training deliveries at the agency's summer conference.
