California Highway Patrol officer ran plates while out on disability

Jurisdiction
California
A CHP officer/former neighbor recently started an argument with one of my employees while they were parked in front of my house and off duty, accusing them of doing things they were not and threatening them. He is currently out on disability from work but ran my plates in order to obtain information and file a complaint against the employee. Is it legal for an officer to run plates while they are out on disability? What recourse do I have against him for his actions? His false report may be costing two hard working people their jobs.
 
while they were parked in front of my house and off duty, accusing them of doing things they were not and threatening them.

What's with all the plural pronouns here? Do you not know these persons' genders? When everyone in your story is "they" and "them," it's awfully hard to tell who's who.

A CHP officer . . . ran my plates in order to obtain information and file a complaint against the employee.

Why would he run your plates? If he ran your plates, he'd presumably get information about you. Right? How would that give him "information [to] file a complaint against [your] employee"? And what sort of complaint are you talking about?

Is it legal for an officer to run plates while they are out on disability?

It might potentially get him in trouble with his boss, but it's not illegal.

What recourse do I have against him for his actions?

You're free to complain to his supervisor.

His false report may be costing two hard working people their jobs.

You mentioned that the CHP officer was going to file some sort of complaint against your employee. However, and while this is the first mention of a "report" in your post, presumably you aren't going to fire your employee since you consider the officer to be in the wrong. Right? So who are these "two hard working people" and why might they lose their jobs?
 
How do you know the plates were checked?

It actually is illegal for the officer to misuse the CLETS system, but proving that he did so would likely be very difficult.

A formal complaint to the department is probably as far as it would go.
 
Generally speaking, law enforcement officers are law enforcement officers 24/7/365, until and unless their agency removes that right from them. It does not matter if they are on the clock or not. I have no way of knowing whether or not this officer had been "deactivated" for lack of a better term. Being on leave due to illness or injury would no in and of itself do so.
 
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