LA Councilman: Leaked Info On LAPD Officers Could Put Families At Risk

LOS ANGELES (CBS) — A City Council member called on Monday for state lawmakers to help the personal information of law enforcement officers remain confidential.

Councilman Dennis Zine wants the California Legislature to move quickly to protect police, fire and other officers after family photos, property records and campaign contributions of LAPD police commanders was posted online last week.

And according to Zine, the department should use the Department of Motor Vehicles as a privacy model.

"The DMV recognized a number of years ago they do have the confidentiality for law enforcement personnel and it's been use-effective, so we're trying to extend that to the assessor's office, which maintains those records," Zine told KNX 1070.

Punitive measures to be determined would be assessed for violators under the plan, he added.

A former police officer himself, Zine said he wants to work on legislation that will standardize protections for law enforcement agencies across the state in effort to protect what's most important to the officers.

"The bottom line is the ability of law enforcement not to be intimidated or not to feel intimidated and their families to be protected," he said. "When they start posting the children's names, addresses, it causes concern with the officer's and their families."

The LAPD has launched an investigation into a number of cases involving the personal information of police officials that ended up on the internet.