Cop Suspected of Using Database to Plan Murder of
Ex-wife
A State Police detective whose estranged wife was shot dead
at a Michigan zoo admitted using the Law Enforcement
Information Network (LEIN) to check on his wife and her
acquaintances, according to Lansing police search warrant
requests. Although the detective is not suspected of pulling
the trigger, the Lansing, Michigan, police department says it
believes he knows who shot his wife a month after she filed
for divorce. Read
the full story.
Rookie Cop Checks on 'Potential Girlfriends': 6,900
Database Searches in Only Two Months
An Australian constable new to the beat used the police
database to check on potential girlfriends. In just over two
months the then 20-year-old policeman performed an
unprecedented 6,900 searches on the police database. The
counsel assisting the case says that of those 6,900 searches
at least 300 weren't connected to official duties. Read
the full news story.
FBI Files Sold to Mob and International Criminals by
Nevada Attorney General's Office Employee and Former FBI
Agent
Dubbed the "Secrets for Sale Scandal" by the Las Vegas
media, an attorney general's office worker and a former FBI
agent were caught selling information from the FBI NCIC
database to organized crime syndicates and other criminals for
more than $100,000.
The office worker and the former agent sold documents
containing classified information about organized crime
investigations, white collar crime investigations, and
investigations involving international alien smuggling. These
documents were sold to members of organized crime syndicates
in New York and to an FBI informant. One defendant's phone
records also shows that he had communications with people in
Mexico and Cuba and his passport listed recent visits to the
drug cartel cities of Medellin and Bogota, Colombia.
The former agent worked for the Las Vegas FBI for several
years and had access to national security and electronic
surveillance information as well as data on confidential
informants and witnesses stored in the FBI's nationwide
computer system. Read
the story.
Indiana PD Banned From FBI Database
The Highland, Indiana, police department had its access to
the state's FBI database suspended due to misuse. The
revocation of Highland's access to the Indiana Data and
Communications System (IDACS), the state's portal into the
National Crime Information Center, is believed to be the first
such suspension in at least a decade. State police auditors
claim that local investigators had been using the system to
run checks on contractors and door-to-door solicitors in
direct violation of IDACS policy, and continued to do so even
after being warned. Read
the story.
Political Candidates Probed by Police Chief
The city attorney in Eastpointe, Michigan, is looking into
allegations that the police chief and city manager violated
state law by using the Law Enforcement Information Network
(LEIN) to check the backgrounds of candidates for an ethics
committee. The mayor ordered the investigation after it was
revealed that the city manager and police chief may have
violated state regulations governing LEIN use by checking
backgrounds of eight people considered for a volunteer
committee created by the city council. Many people were
surprised to find that first-time misuse of the LEIN is not a
crime. Read
the full story.
Police Investigated for Using Database to Target
Organizers of Sheriff-Recall Campaign
Kansas Attorney General Carla Stovall investigated a county
sheriff department after receiving a complaint that the
department did criminal background checks on two organizers of
a petition attempting to recall the sheriff. Read
the full news story.
Prosecutor's Office Uses Database to Smear Prosecutor's
Political Opponent
The Butler County Republican Party has asked the county
commissioners to investigate allegations that an employee in
the prosecutor's office misused a state database to obtain
information about his boss's political opponent. Read
the full news story.
Police Lieutenant Charged With Abusing Database to
Influence Elections
In Maryland, a Charles County sheriff's lieutenant faces
criminal charges for misusing the sheriff's computer system on
behalf of local Democrats connected with elections. He is
charged by sheriff's officials with 102 violations of
departmental rules relating to the abuse, according to court
documents filed in Charles County Circuit Court. Read
the full story.
Cop Uses Database to Find Woman's Unlisted Phone Number
-- Gives It to Woman's Ex
A Brisbane, Australia, police officer admitted to giving a
local businessman the personal details of his ex-girlfriend.
The investigator told the court how the woman, whose name has
been suppressed, complained earlier that an ex-boyfriend had
called her unlisted home phone number. The senior police
constable admitted to providing the woman's personal details.
Despite twice denying in previous CJC interviews to handing
over the silent number, Constable Crawford changed his
evidence.
Cop Fired for Abusing Database, Chief Accused as
Well
The town of Atherton, California, has ruled that a former
police officer should not get his job back after alleged
misuse of the California Law Enforcement Telecommunications
System (CLETS). He is also accused of violating a restraining
order and destroying personal property in a case involving his
ex-girlfriend, and reportedly using the database to find
information about her. The CLETS system, administered by the
California Department of Justice, is a database containing
information ranging from driving records to criminal records.
Following the firing, the officer accused Atherton's police
chief of also misusing the CLETS system.
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