George Borrello

It may soon be a felony crime to post a police officer’s personal information online.

Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner, D-Saratoga Springs, has introduced A.10911 to create a Class D felony charge of doxing a police or peace officer. Doxing typically refers to the release of personal information like addresses and phone numbers online. Companion legislation, S.8822, has been introduced by Sen. Patrick Gallivan, D-Elma, with a bipartisan host of senators that include Sen. George Borrello, R-Sunset Bay, co-sponsoring the bill.

To face charges, a person would have to knowingly make restricted personal information about a police or peace officer, or a member of the immediate family of an officer, publicly available. Judges would be allowed to require bail for those charged with doxing a police officer.

“Members of law enforcement, in particular police and peace officers, are entrusted with protecting the unalienable rights afforded to all of us within the constitution,” Woerner wrote in her legislative justification. “These dedicated public servants also take an oath to uphold our laws, which has the potential to put such officers in harms way. We owe it to our police.and peace officers to provide them with adequate protections so that they can perform their necessary duties. This bill does just that.”

Doxing of police officers has been a national issue amid tense interactions at demonstrations across the U.S. over the police custody death of George Floyd and others, according to an unclassified intelligence document from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security obtained by The Associated Press in June.

The document warns that doxing could lead to attacks by “violent opportunists or domestic violent extremists” or could prevent law enforcement officials from carrying out their duties.

Multiple high-ranking police officials in a number of cities, including Washington, Atlanta, Boston and New York have had their personal information shared on social media, including their home addresses, email addresses and phone numbers, the report warns.

“At least one of the police commissioners was targeted for his alleged support of the use of tear gas to disperse protests,” the Homeland Security Department report states.

It is not illegal to post the personal information of law enforcement officers online, though many social media companies specifically prohibit its sharing as part of their terms of service.

The report warns that some of the information may be coming from officers’ compromised email and other accounts, but some of the information may be from publicly available databases based on public records and social media sites.

Officers are being encouraged to increase their security settings on their accounts, like using multi-factor email authentication and strong passwords. The report also suggests avoid taking online quizzes or games that elicit personal information, to be wary of suspicious emails and not to post phone numbers online.

The report says the Department of Homeland security has “medium confidence that cyber actors will possibly continue to target law enforcement officers” with doxxing tactics “to undermine law enforcement’s response to ongoing lawful protests.”

In July, a Department of Homeland Security official said that 38 law enforcement officers in Portland, Ore., were doxed amid ongoing protests in the area.