257 undercover officers’ identities wrongfully released, lawsuit alleges
257 undercover officers' names wrongfully released
A new lawsuit filed by the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association (MPPOA) against the Minnesota Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Board alleges that 257 undercover police officers' names were wrongfully released and put online as part of a data request. FOX 9's Mike Manzoni has the latest.
(FOX 9) - Alleging the identities of 257 undercover police officers were illegally released and made available online as part of a data request in 2024, the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association (MPPOA) has filed a lawsuit against the Minnesota Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Board, saying it violated Minnesota state law.
Undercover officers' identities released
What we know:
In a lawsuit filed in Ramsey County on Jan. 21, the MPPOA cites an "emergency action relating to the public release of highly sensitive personal information identifying the names of 257 individual undercover police officers."
The lawsuit says it’s critical that the officers’ information immediately be made private – not only for their safety, but for the effectiveness of law enforcement investigations, and to encourage cooperation with law enforcement, further ensuring public safety and trust.
The lawsuit states that the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act prohibits disclosing private data, which would include the identities of undercover officers, and as a result, their disclosure is a violation of state law.
Dig deeper:
The lawsuit says that while responding to a data request in 2024, the POST Board gave the identities of at least 257 of the undercover officers to the Invisible Institute – a nonprofit in Illinois. Media outlets across Minnesota were also able to access the information as part of the disclosure.
Using the information given in the data request, the lawsuit says the Invisible Institute created a public database of police officers that contained the information of the undercover officers – which became available publicly online.
As part of the lawsuit, MPPOA alleges that the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act oversees the storage of information on undercover officers, which POST was in violation of when it was released.
During its release, POST failed to adopt "appropriate security safeguards" when publicly releasing private data, violating state law, the lawsuit says.
In addition to paying attorney’s fees and "all further relief," MPPOA is petitioning to order POST to ensure compliance with the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act in the future to prevent further data releases.
The POST Board should also be required to tell the undercover officers about the disclosure of their data, and take steps to limit its use publicly, the lawsuit petitions.
What they're saying:
"Upon becoming aware of the issue, the POST Board promptly notified the data requestor and other recipients of the data of the incident and requested the data be destroyed. The POST Board also promptly notified all affected officers and their Chief Law Enforcement Officers of the incident and the POST Board’s steps to stop any further dissemination of the data," POST Executive Director Erik Misselt said in a statement provided to FOX 9. "There were approximately 49,000 officers listed in the response and the dataset did not directly reveal or indicate those officers’ statuses as undercover. The POST Board recognizes the sensitivity of this issue. POST has been and will continue to work diligently to address and resolve concerns in connection with this incident."
Big picture view:
Founded in 1922, the MPPOA is currently Minnesota’s largest organization representing police and peace officers, with 10,600 members that include rank-and-file police officers, deputy sheriffs, dispatchers, correctional officers, conservation officers, and more.
According to its site, the MPPOA's founding members "sought to establish civil service protection for police officers across the state."
Due to its scope, it’s likely that many, if not all, of Minnesota’s undercover law enforcement officers are members of the MPPOA, the lawsuit states.
Created in 1977, POST sets regulations as an administrative body, and controls the training and licensing of police officers.
Board appointments, including officer positions, are made by the governor’s office.
The Source: A lawsuit filed in Ramsey County.