The California Department of Motor Vehicles is investigating potential criminal activity tied to irregularities found in 11,000 of the state's driver's license tests.
The state's DMV director, Steve Gordon, announced the investigation in a letter sent to State Senate Transportation Committee Chairman Dave Cortese last week, KCRA 3 reports.
According to the DMV, 11,000 drivers were flagged as having irregularities in their recent driving tests that could be indications of cheating. Those drivers were informed that they will have to retake their tests within 30 days.
"The notices were not issued randomly or based on a single data point but instead followed investigative review of information indicating that the associated knowledge examination may have been compromised," Gordon wrote in his letter to Cortese.
The letter notes that the investigation has "potential criminal implications" and as such the Gordon could not offer specific details about the probe.
"Public disclosure of those details would risk compromising ongoing investigations, undermining future enforcement efforts, and enabling individuals to circumvent the Department's fraud detection processes," he wrote. "Several matters have been referred for prosecution, and DMV will continue to make additional referrals where appropriate."
The Independent has requested comment from the California DMV.
The department did not respond to a request from KCRA when the outlet asked which law enforcement agencies were involved in the investigation.
State Senator Tony Strickland, who also received the letter, said important questions were yet to be answered.
"I appreciate the DMV's response and its commitment to protecting the integrity of the driver's licensing process. However, these are serious and concerning allegations that warrant additional scrutiny," he said in a statement. "If these individuals took the written exam in person, were they properly monitored, and if so, why weren't these issues identified at the time? If the exams were taken online, what safeguards were in place to prevent misconduct?"
Strickland added that the DMV has "a responsibility to explain how" it reached the conclusion that 11,000 drivers may have been cheating on their driver's tests.
Cortese, the transport committee chairman, also responded in his own statement, saying that while he appreciated Gordon's letter, "on the other hand I think there's still a lot of unanswered questions."
"He references 2017," Cortese wrote. "Is this the first time in nine years they’ve determined irregularities? If the DMV is pursuing crimes against these applicants, why would they be inviting them back to take another test?"
