Hacked AZ State Police Memos Released

The New York Times reports:

A cache of internal documents released online on Thursday by hackers who gained access to the computer system of the Arizona Department of Public Safety revealed the array of potential outlaws on the state police’s radar screen, from international terrorists to Mexican drug smugglers to motorcycle gang members.

There was a memo telling officers not to send text messages while driving and a warning that criminals had found a way to break into the trunks of Crown Victoria police cruisers. A document on state budget cuts disclosed which roads the state police would stop patrolling this year because of reduced staffing.

In one of the leaked documents, the Border Patrol reported how four “possible illegal aliens” encountered by sheriff’s deputies in southern Arizona on June 18 were found to be Qatari nationals in the country legally. Other memos warned officers of a FedEx truck that might be smuggling illegal immigrants and advised that two armed, off-duty Marines had been found patrolling the border.

“The documents are sensitive, but they don’t appear to be classified,” said Capt. Steve Harrison, a department spokesman.

The Arizona police agency shut down its e-mail system on Thursday and Friday to allow computer forensics experts time to investigate the intrusion, which was orchestrated by Lulz Security, a group of hackers who have previously gained access to a number of government and private Web sites.