CHARLESTON - Personal information on more than 150 West Virginia police officers, including several local officers, was stolen and posted online after hackers gained access to an old website of the West Virginia Chiefs of Police.
The organization said information, including personal phone numbers, email and home addresses of both retired and active officers, was stolen from an older version of the association's website by the online group CabinCr3w. More than a dozen area officers were among those listed by the group.
The FBI is investigating, said William Roper, the association's president and the police chief in Ranson, W.Va.
"It's a shame that folks have to do this," Roper said Wednesday.
He said hackers obtained the information that was taken from a website unused in two years. The association has a new website, but some information was still stored on the old one.
"I don't think they gained anything with this," said Roper, who was among the officers whose information was posted by the hackers. "They just obtained information that's already easy to get."
Capt. Keith Roberts of the Parkersburg Police Department was among the officers who had information published online.
"The FBI called me to let me know what was going on," he said Wednesday. "They informed me my information had been posted online. Fortunately for me, most of it was just department information, like the address and phone number. They did have my home phone number, but you can get that from the phone book."
Roberts said the investigation is being handled entirely by the FBI, but he has been speaking with other officers about better protecting their information online.
"There is nothing that is 100 percent secure," he said.
Williamstown police Chief B.D. Adkins also received a call from the FBI.
"They told me to change my password on my email, which I did," he said. "They had my phone number, but my phone number is public anyway."
Adkins said he does not believe any of the information posted about him was private.
"I don't know what their motive is for this. There's not much that could really be gained by this," he said. "I just don't know what their motive is, and that's what concerns me."
Those who had information listed included Gary Deem, former police chief of Vienna and a former Wood County commissioner; Gerald Board, former police chief of Parkersburg and a candiate for mayor in Parkersburg; Steve Stephens, former police chief of Vienna and a candidate for Vienna City Council; and Capt. Delmas Barker of the Parkersburg Police Department.
Parkersburg Mayor Bob Newell, a former police chief of Parkersburg, had his name listed but no associated information was included. Newell also is a candidate for re-election.
In an online message by CabinCr3w addressed to "citizens of West Virginia," the group says it has been monitoring cases of police brutality.
"We are here to remind you that we the taxpayers pay your exorbitant salaries, and those salaries of your officers," the message says. "Your job is to protect and serve, not brutalize the very people that pay your wages. Muzzle your dogs of war, or we will expose more of your sensative (sic) information."
CabinCr3w's Twitter page is laced with references to Anonymous, a hacking collective.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
