COLORADO COMPUTER STOLEN FROM COMPANY THAT MANAGES COLORADO HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT CONTAINED PERSONAL INFO http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5092102,00.html

Personal info in stolen computer
Data from clients in child-support cases, state officials report

A desktop computer containing personal information of Colorado human services department clients involved in child support payments was stolen this month, officials said Tuesday.

Affiliated Computer Services, which operates the state's Family Registry for the Colorado Department of Human Services, sent letters to clients about thetheft and advised them on how to protect their information, Kevin Lightfoot, the firm's spokesman, said.

"I want to reiterate that there's no evidence that identity theft occurred or if that was the intent of the theft," Lightfoot said.

Denver police spokesman Sonny Jackson said detectives are investigating the computer theft. The company said the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and officials from the human services department are assisting in the probe.

The computer was stored in a secure area that can be accessed by use of a password, the company said.

The area where the computer was housed also is equipped with surveillance cameras, and investigators are trying to recover any evidence from the video that might lead them to the thief.

Liz McDonough, human services spokeswoman, said the theft occurred during the weekend of Oct. 13 in an office building.

McDonough declined to disclose the location of the office building because the case involves child support.

McDonough and Lightfoot also refused to disclose the number of clients who could be affected by the burglary.

"We are monitoring the actions of the contractor to make sure they meet the expectations of the state," McDonough said.

According to its Web site, Affiliated Computer Services, a Fortune 500 company based in Dallas, offers information technology services to government and commercial clients around the world.