Abuse of Police Power Leads to Intrusion of Online Database Privacy

Former Montgomery County Police officer Delores Culmer, age 37, of Silver Spring, Maryland pleaded guilty to obtaining unauthorized information from protected government computers for her personal financial gain or commercial advantage.
According to Culmer’s guilty plea, on at least 20 occasions from August 2008 to April 2010, Culmer, then a Montgomery County Police officer, used her police powers to access law enforcement databases to obtain unauthorized information. For example Culmer inappropriately accessed the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database, as well as the Maryland Inter- agency Law Enforcement System (MILES) database, to conduct wanted persons checks on her boyfriend, a person with whom her sister was having a dispute, and a friend of Culmer’s boyfriend. Culmer also performed unauthorized registered motor vehicle checks on Culmer’s boyfriend’s brother and a person with whom Culmer’s boyfriend was having a dispute.
Culmer faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
SOURCE: DOJ

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