Denver Police Officers Consult Criminal Database for Dates, Other Personal Issues

An audit of the performance of the Denver Police and the Denver Sheriff Department found that one officer, for example, used the National Crime Information Center to run a man's license plate for a friend. The friend was going through a divorce and wanted to determine the identity of a man he believed his wife was having an affair with.

The spying spiraled out of control, possibly causing violence.

The ex-husband began driving by the other man’s house and threatening him. The ex-husband also found and contacted the man’s wife to tell her husband was having an affair. The ex-husband told the wife that he knew their home address, showed her a picture of the man’s car, and asked her questions about the man to find out what gym he worked out at, what shift he worked, and where he spent his leisure time.

In another case, a Denver Police officer who was at a hospital investigating a reported sexual assault chatted up a female hospital employee who was not involved in the incident:

The female employee returned home to find a voicemail from the officer on her personal phone. She had not given the officer her phone number and was upset that he had obtained it (she assumed) by improperly using law enforcement computer systems.

The database at issue includes information about arrests, whether or not someone is a sex offender, alleged gang affiliations and missing persons. It also contains a person's home address, immigration status and "personal information about victims of domestic violence who have obtained protection orders," the audit said.

Denver Police spokeswoman Daelene Mix told the Associated Press the department only investigates cases after a complaint is filed. So, it's difficult to know if the situations described in the report are isolated incidents or if the problem is more extensive.