MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Minneapolis police are about to gain access to vast amounts of information that will make it easier to connect local suspects to crimes committed in other states.
But some privacy advocates are worried the data could be misused, the Minneapolis Star Tribune (https://strib.mn/2nmUDvg ) reported.
The National Data Exchange was created by the FBI in 2008 and has become a popular tool among police agencies in the U.S. The Minneapolis City Council earlier this month signed an agreement giving local police access to the system known as N-DEx, which is already used by thousands of departments across the U.S.
Police officials say the database could supply information critical to solving a case and help investigators more easily connect the dots in cases that span state lines.
“It gives us greater reach,” special agent Craig Lisher, spokesman for the FBI’s Minneapolis office. “What it does is prevent criminals from getting away from justice by simply moving.”
The city’s police can search records from any law enforcement agency that subscribes to N-DEx under an agreement with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. The database includes names of suspects, associates, persons of interest, victims, witnesses and others named in an arrest, booking, incident, parole or probation report. A simple search can reveal hidden relationships among suspects or quickly map links among people, places and events.
Privacy advocate Rich Neumeister wonders whether the police department will have protections in place for keeping sensitive information away from prying eyes and ensuring records entered are accurate.
“Once the data leaves, you lose control,” Neumeister said. “This has a great impact on people’s civil rights and ability to lead a life without things following them that may be incorrect and false.”
Minneapolis police Sgt. Catherine Michal says the department would feed its crime records into the database, but she didn’t respond to the newspaper’s requests to discuss program specifics.
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Information from: Star Tribune, https://www.startribune.com
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