CALIFORNIA COMPUTERS STOLENhttp://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20090310/NEWS/903100371/1033?Title=Sheriff-s-employees-warned-after-computer-theft

1,000 sheriff's employees' data at risk

Computers stolen from department vehicles Feb. 28 included personal information

By LAURA NORTON
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

Published: Tuesday, March 10, 2009 at 3:46 a.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, March 10, 2009 at 3:46 a.m.

The personal information on Sonoma County Sheriff's Department employees is at risk from a recent security breach, Sheriff Bill Cogbill warned employees Monday.

In a memo to the department's more than 1,000 employees, Cogbill warned that their "personal information could be compromised."

There is no evidence that the information, which authorities said included names and home addresses, had been viewed or used by anyone outside the Sheriff's Department, Cogbill said.

One Sheriff's Department employee said Social Security numbers also were in the database, but that could not be independently confirmed on Monday.

The information was potentially exposed when thieves broke into Santa Rosa police cars at the city's Municipal Services Center on Stony Point Road the night of Feb. 22 or morning of Feb. 23, Santa Rosa Police Sgt. Lisa Banayat said.

There was no immediate explanation why sheriff's authorities waited two weeks to disclose the breach.

Four laptop computers with access to the county data system were stolen. "The information is password protected and linked to the county system only when it is in the car," Banayat said. "It would be a nearly impossible hack job to get into it."

The theft was one of four burglaries of government agencies that occurred that night and authorities believe they are related.

Computers also were stolen from the Sonoma County Water Agency and PG&E office on Stony Point Road. Banayat said Santa Rosa property crimes detectives are following leads and trying to track down the computers and suspects.

Sheriff's Capt. Matt McCaffrey said the Sheriff's Department is assisting in the investigation and "taking steps to institute stricter security measures so that it doesn't happen again."

"Our investigations bureau has been assigned the case to identify potential suspects and recover the data," Cogbill wrote in his note to employees. A credit monitoring service will be available to all current and former employees, Cogbill said.

You can reach Staff Writer Laura Norton at 521-5220 or laura.norton@pressdemocrat.com