The Denver district attorney’s office is looking into whether it needs to do more to protect sensitive information it handles in criminal cases.
The examination follows a 9News investigation of a convicted burglar who legally obtained the Social Security numbers and dates of birth for nearly three dozen of his alleged victims.
“We’re doing what we can to remedy the situation,” Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey told 9News. “We need to look at what it’s going to take to protect the identities of the victims.”
Morrissey said he believes the case is an isolated one and not indicative of a wider problem.
The convicted burglar, Jeffrey Trott, 53, is at Denver County Jail awaiting trial on 40 counts of second-degree burglary.
Months ago, a Denver public defender gave Trott copies of various police reports and witness statements made during the investigation into some of the recent burglaries. On those reports, Trott found the Social Security numbers and birth dates for 35 of the victims in the case.
Even Trott says he was surprised by the information he saw.
“You know, nobody’s paying any attention. I mean, everybody’s asleep at the switch,” he told 9News.
Trott obtained the information legally through documents turned over during the discovery process.
“There is no restriction on that defense attorney that prohibits him from giving those reports to the defendant,” says Trip DeMuth, a former Boulder prosecutor.
“How does this happen? I don’t get it,” Jon Shaw of Denver said after learning his personal information made its way to Trott.
Morrissey says his office will consider redacting more information in the future. He also says he believes the Police Department may not have to ask as many questions as it does on common police forms.
“Does a Social Security number need to be on a witness statement? Probably not. I think there’s an obligation for everybody involved in this situation, from the Police Department to my office,” he said.
