An investigation by The Associated Press has found that police officers nationwide have abused data access privileges into law enforcement databases to find information on everything from journalists and romantic partners in ways that are not related to their daily work, the news entity reports. “No single agency tracks how often the abuse happens nationwide, and record-keeping inconsistencies make it impossible to know how many violations occur,” the report states. “But the AP, through records requests to state agencies and big-city police departments, found law enforcement officers and employees who misused databases were fired, suspended or resigned more than 325 times between 2013 and 2015.” While law enforcement agencies train officers not to abuse the databases and that their usage is subject to audit, “misuse persists,” the report adds.
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