Officers’ Personal Info Hacked
“The only information that we got, that was alarming to us, is that the computers were hacked and that very sensitive information was released. The moment we found out, we were more alarmed that the county had not notified their members.” – John Rivera, President, Dade County PBA
The private information of thousands of South Florida police officers may have been compromised. Due to the cyber-breach, police unions that represent police officers around South Florida have scrambled to protect the information of police officers, prosecutors, and specially protected county employees.
John Rivera, the president of the Police Benevolent Association of Miami-Dade, said, “The only information that we got, that was alarming to us, is that the computers were hacked and that very sensitive information was released.”
According to a report by WSNV.com – Channel 7 News – an official memo from the Homeland Security Bureau of Southeast Florida, Miami-Dade started investigating a cyber-security breach on Feb. 26. Once they learned of the hack the Dade County PBA alerted their members immediately.
Rivera’s biggest concern was that Miami-Dade did not notify their employees. “The moment we found out, we were more alarmed that the county had not notified their members,” he said.
The website allows anyone with an Internet connection to search for the names and personal information of 1,121 Miami-Dade, 2,385 Broward, 4,114 Palm Beach employees. “Police officers, just by the nature of their work, is a very dangerous job,” Rivera said. “If somebody wants to retaliate on police officers and their families, which has happened many times, then they can be in jeopardy.”
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