Breach exposes sensitive LAPD files stored in city attorney system
The Los Angeles Police Department on Tuesday announced that hackers gained access to a Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office digital storage system containing sensitive police documents.
The LAPD described the documents as materials that had been turned over in discovery from previously resolved or settled LAPD civil litigation cases.
The hack did not breach any LAPD systems or networks, according to an LAPD press release.
“We take this incident very seriously and are working with the LA City Attorney’s Office to gain access to the impacted files to understand the full scope of the data breach,” the press release said. “LAPD is committed to safeguarding its sensitive personnel and investigative information.”
Under California law, police records are generally considered confidential.
The Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The LA Times reported that social media posts allegedly featuring information about the stolen material — some of which have since been taken down — revealed there were 7.7 terabytes of data available for download and more than 337,000 files accessed.
The stolen materials included records containing witness names, medical information, unredacted criminal complaints and investigative files, the LA Times reported.
Suzanne Smalley
is a reporter covering digital privacy, surveillance technologies and cybersecurity policy for The Record. She was previously a cybersecurity reporter at CyberScoop. Earlier in her career Suzanne covered the Boston Police Department for the Boston Globe and two presidential campaign cycles for Newsweek. She lives in Washington with her husband and three children.