The Department of Public Safety has asked 18 law enforcement agencies in Minnesota to look into potential misuse of its Driver and Vehicle Services database concerning one individual.

That individual contacted DPS in August after becoming concerned that law enforcement looked up the person’s record and/or photo, said Andy Skoogman, a department spokesman. The department ran an audit of the individual’s name and found about 100 law enforcement employees had accessed the individual’s record more than 400 times over the past four years.

“These types of allegations of misuse are not unheard of, but they’re not common,” Skoogman said.

According to an Aug. 30 letter sent to agencies, DVS said it recognizes the value of the photo to law enforcement.

“However, we would like assurance from you that the access was appropriate to the individual’s job duties at the time the record was accessed,” the letter said.

The agencies contacted by DPS include police departments in Bloomington, Burnsville, Cottage Grove, Eagan, Eden Prairie, Isanti, Lakeville, Minnetonka, Minneapolis, St. Paul and the University of Minnesota-Duluth. The Dakota County, Pine County and Ramsey County sheriff’s offices were also notified. The Department of Corrections, Office of Special Investigations, FBI’s Minneapolis office, Metro Transit and the State Patrol were also contacted.

One State Patrol employee is involved and is currently under investigation, spokesman Lt. Eric Roeske said.

“We are investigating the situation and will make a decision about discipline at the end of the investigation,” Roeske said.

He said he had no knowledge of whose data was being accessed.

“I don’t know who the person is. I haven’t even been told a name,” Roeske said.

One employee was involved at the Dakota County sheriff’s office. The employee had been disciplined before the DPS letter for a separate incident of misusing data, Sheriff Dave Bellows said.

“We took action right away. We looked into it and determined there was a violation there,” Bellows said. “So when we got this latest letter, we felt we’d dealt with the situation.”

He said he used the prior discipline incident as an opportunity to remind the rest of the sheriff’s office staff that the data are not to be used for anything other than professional reasons.

“I’m very strong on this,” Bellows said. “I feel it’s very inappropriate to be using (the data) for anything other than business purposes. The employees know my position on this.”

DPS asked agencies to determine whether access was appropriate and to notify the department of any findings.

Agencies may have their own policies on accessing DVS records, Skoogman said. Records should be accessed in an investigative capacity, he said.

Internal affairs investigators at the St. Paul Police Department are looking into a number of officers, said Howie Padilla, a police spokesman. He declined to say how many were subject to the inquiry.

Its policy states that “inquiries into the motor vehicle registration, driver license, criminal history or any other file in the systems will be performed for criminal justice purpose only.”

The Ramsey County sheriff’s office was informed of one employee who accessed the individual’s records. “We have looked into it,” said Randy Gustafson, a sheriff’s spokesman. “We have determined there was no violation of Department of Public Safety or Ramsey County sheriff’s office policy.”

If abuse is found, it’s up to the individual agency to take action, Skoogman said. If it’s serious enough, the agency could contact the city attorney for possible charges.

The department could also revoke access privileges.

About 26,000 people in Minnesota have access to DVS records because of their profession, Skoogman said. About half of them are in law enforcement.

DPS audits the DVS database monthly and monitors it regularly, Skoogman said. If patterns of potential misuse are found, DPS contacts the individual agency.

Public Safety Commissioner Mona Dohman will send a letter to agencies throughout the state, reminding them of proper DVS database use, Skoogman said.

Contact Brady Gervais at bgervais@pioneerpress.com or 651-228-5513. Contact Elizabeth Mohr at emohr@pioneerpress.com or 651-228-5162.