Los Angeles Police Department

Summary

The Los Angeles Police Department reported that unauthorized individuals accessed a storage system used by the city attorney’s office that held discovery documents from past civil litigation involving the department. The compromised data included officer personnel files, Internal Affairs investigation records, witness names, health information and unredacted criminal complaints, amounting to roughly 7.7 terabytes and over 337,000 files. Some of the material appeared on social media platforms, with the account @WhosTheCop among the first to share a file after being alerted by a security researcher. The files were later removed, and officials have not disclosed whether a ransom was demanded or paid. Under state law most police records are private, making the exposure a significant breach of confidential law enforcement information.

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TTPs

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Description

Breach discovered last month when unauthorized individuals gained access to a storage system containing discovery documents from previously adjudicated or settled LAPD civil litigation. The Los Angeles Police Department stated in a Tuesday statement that they take the incident very seriously and are working with the LA City Attorney’s Office to gain access to the impacted files to understand the full scope of the data breach. Some of the records began surfacing on social media platforms including X. The account @WhosTheCop, which regularly posts about police accountability, was among the first to post a file from the suspected hack. The account’s administrator said a security researcher first disclosed the breach. The files apparently had been taken down by Tuesday afternoon.

According to posts about the data breach, there were 7.7 terabytes of information available for download and more than 337,000 files. The trove included sensitive records turned over as part of discovery in court cases, such as witness names, health information, unredacted criminal complaints and investigative files. Officer personnel files and documents from Internal Affairs investigations were among the materials believed to have been seized. Under state law, most police officer records are considered private. If authentic, the disclosure represents a stunning breach of police data. Only rarely do Internal Affairs documents surface in civil lawsuits and criminal cases, and even then they are often heavily redacted.

City and LAPD officials did not comment on whether the hackers requested a ransom in return for not releasing the information and whether the city paid one. The LAPD emphasized that they are collaborating with the LA City Attorney’s Office to access the impacted files and assess the breach’s extent. The appearance of the files on social media and their subsequent removal highlighted the rapid spread of the disclosed information. The exposure of witness names, health information, unredacted criminal complaints and investigative files constitutes a significant impact on the privacy of individuals involved in past litigation.

Sources

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