ST. LOUIS – Police sources tell FOX 2 a computer information network they use on a regular basis is temporarily unavailable. A spokesperson for the Regional Justice Information System (REJIS) confirmed there was a security incident.
REJIS has worked to mitigate any damage and is not aware of any sensitive information being taken or released, according to an agency spokesperson.
Police sources tell FOX 2 the system is used to write reports and gives officers the ability to see if an individual is wanted for a crime. Departments in St. Louis City and St. Louis County declined to comment on how the departments are adjusting.
“I don’t know why somebody would want to hack into the system other than to potentially cause havoc,” said Joel Schwartz, a prominent St. Louis criminal defense attorney.
He said police can hold someone for 24 hours while investigators determine if there are any outstanding warrants. Schwartz said if police do not have access to the system to verify that information, it could result in someone being released even though they could be wanted for a serious crime.
“It certainly has the potential of causing some serious issues,” Schwartz said.
The security incident has affected some court cases in the Kansas City area.
A spokesperson for the FBI office in St. Louis told FOX 2 the agency had no information to provide about the incident.
Schwartz said the potential hack underscores the need to make sure computer systems related to areas such as the criminal justice system, the health care system, and the banking system are secure.
“If it’s not secure, then we’re not secure in anything we do,” Schwartz said.
St. Louis County Executive Sam Page shared more information about the attack during Tuesday night’s council meeting. He said the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Missouri Department of Public Safety are investigating.
Page said as a precaution, the county took down several computer systems used to look up court information, process individuals at the jail and access certain court information. He said the county’s 911 system was not affected.
The county executive said he will be calling on the county council to invest more money in cybersecurity. The county conducted a cybersecurity audit earlier this year.
