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Officers Investigated For Possible Database Misuse

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- The Minnesota Department of Public Safety has asked 18 law enforcement agencies to investigate possible misuse of its Driver and Vehicle Services database.

Department spokesman Andy Skoogman says an individual contacted the agency recently after becoming concerned that law enforcement officers looked up the person's record or photo. Skoogman says the department ran an audit of the individual and found the person's record had been accessed more than 400 times over the past four years by about 100 law enforcement employees.

One of the 18 agencies involved is the Dakota County Sheriff's Department. Sheriff Dave Bellows tells the St. Paul Pioneer Press that one employee misused the database and was disciplined. Skoogman says the database is to be accessed only for investigative reasons. The individual who contacted the department was not identified.

(© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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