Confidential info leaks out on copiers

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - A CBS News investigation has uncovered shocking, confidential information on an old copy machine discarded by the Buffalo Police Department.

This is a story News 4 brought you Monday night, and Tuesday officials are still being pretty tight lipped about it.

A CBS investigator went to a warehouse in New Jersey and bought four used digital copiers.

Two of them had been used by Buffalo Police, and still had information on the hard drives.

One appeared to have most of the information scrubbed off. But, still had information about sex offenders and domestic violence cases. The other, had information about narcotic drug raids, through operation IMPACT.

City Attorney Diane O'Gorman sent a letter to CBS producers saying, the city was unaware that information was still on the hard drives, and demanding they be returned.

The letter goes on to say, the copiers were leased from Toshiba and Toshiba released or sold them.

Tuesday morning, News 4 tried to get more information from the mayor, but couldn't get much.

News 4 asked Mayor Byron Brown if he was concerned that there may be more than two of these computers out there.

Brown answered, "I think we're going to wait for the information to get back."

Buffalo Common Council President David Franczyk said, "The vendor should have a responsibility to say that those things are in there, and if the city leases any more computers, I'm sure it's going to be on the forefront of our mind to ask the question, or assume they're there and take the proper actions so no sensitive information is out in the universe."

News 4 has tried to reach Toshiba on this, but keeps getting directed to their website. On it, it says whoever leases the copiers should pay for an end-of-life policy up front. Basically saying, pay for the security at the end in the beginning.

In the city's defense, CBS producers say most of the information had been taken off the copiers.