Charlottesville Police Department
606 East Market Street
Charlottesville, Virginia 22902
Telephone Number [434] 970-3280
Fax Telephone Number [434] 970 3502
T.J. Longo
Chief of Police
PRESS RELEASE
RELEASE: Theft of Voter Registration Computers
DATE: November 7, 2008
11/7/2008
The Charlottesville Police Department is investigating the theft of two laptop computers belonging to the City Registrars Office from the Tonsler Park voting precinct sometime between 2100 hrs on 11/04/2008 and 0800 hrs 11/05/2008. The building was broken into through a glass door when thieves entered the building.
The stolen computers contained voter registration information to include names, addresses, date of birth, gender, voter identification numbers, and DMV customer numbers. No social security numbers were in the computers and all the information in the computers is protected by multiple layers of security and is at very low risk for accessibility.
The theft of computers is a growing problem for many jurisdictions, identity theft crimes stemming from those thefts and the information contained within computers is historically a rare occurrence in Charlottesville. It is believed that even if the data on these computers could be accessed the risk for identity theft is low.
As regular practice, the Charlottesville Police Department advises anyone who has a concern about the possibility of Identity Theft to follow a few simple guidelines to minimize their risks. Contact the three major credit bureaus and request a free copy of your credit report. Secondly, ask that they place an alert on your credit record to prevent unauthorized access to your information. Finally, frequently check your credit report and any activity on your accounts. Report any discrepancies to the reporting credit bureau.
Any confirmed reports of Identity Theft will be followed by additional press releases. As of this release, there have been no reports of Identity Theft resulting from the theft of these computers. If anyone has further questions about the information contained within these computers the public is asked to contact the office of Voter Registration for the City of Charlottesville at (434) 970-3250.
Media inquiries for clarification on this incident can be directed to Rick Sincere, Chairman of the Charlottesville Electoral Board at 202-903-5555. If the public has any information on this crime or any other crime in the City of Charlottesville they are asked to call Crime Stoppers at 977-4000.
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