Exposed Personal Information In Traffic Records Concerns Commissioner's Office

CHICAGO (CBS)—An exclusive CBS 2 investigation revealing Cook County failed to protect the public's personal information has prompted the Commissioner to take action.

For years, the private information of anyone issued a traffic citation in the state of Illinois has been readily available to anyone who asks for it, CBS 2 reports.

An easy search on the computers in Chicago's Daley Center, where the Cook County Circuit Clerk's office is housed, reveals personal information such as birthdays, addresses, license plate numbers and more.

The flaw was brought to light by Illinois resident Mary Nisi.

Nisi is suing Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown after she discovered her personal information was made public following a 2005 speeding ticket.

"This is one way in which somebody who is barely crafty could pull it together to steal your information and run wild with it," Nisi said.

The lawsuit alleges the Circuit Clerk's office of violating the Driver's Privacy Protection Act -- intended to prevent the disclosure of personal information found in state motor vehicle records.

Following CBS 2's July 25 story, the Cook County Commissioner has called for the Circuit Clerk to shut down the system until changes are made.

"We weren't aware of this," said Cook County Commissioner Sean Morrison. "CBS is coming to us with a story that has major implications, based off of county government, that many of us are not aware of."

A CBS reporter visited the Daley Center this week, where he was able to pull up sensitive information of public officials including Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart.

CBS also found information for everyone including celebrity athletes, federal judges, police officers and domestic violence victims.

The executive director of domestic violence advocacy group Life Span, Denise Wolf Markham, said victims have limited rights when attempting to shield their information.

The state's Privacy Protection Act was prompted by the 1989 murder of sitcom star Rebecca Schaeffer.

She was killed by a stalker who found the actress's information through motor vehicle records.

"I'm not sure what the public policy reason is for having this information available to anyone who wants it, but it does pose very serious dangers to our clients," Markham said.

Brown's office maintains their policies are in compliance with the law. Her office has until Aug. 8 to respond to the Commissioner's inquiry.