Friends and neighbors,
A serious error by the Minnesota POST Board has put hundreds of undercover police officers at risk. In responding to a public records request last year, the board mistakenly released the names and birthdates of 257 undercover officers to an independent journalist.
This private information was then shared with multiple news organizations and a nonprofit, which published it online. Although the data has since been removed, it was available for five months. Obviously, that is more than long enough for anyone to access and potentially misuse it.
This kind of breach is unacceptable. The POST Board acknowledged their error, but it may be too late to undo the harm it caused. It jeopardizes the safety of these officers and their families, while also threatening years of critical law enforcement work.
Sincerely,