A Ross police officer was charged with illegally using department computers to search internal files.
Agents from the state Attorney General’s Office this week charged Officer Mark Sullivan, 39, with two felony counts of unlawful use of a computer.
He was arraigned July 23 before District Judge William Wagner and released on his own recognizance. He faces an Aug. 7 preliminary hearing before Hampton Township District Judge Tom Swan.
Sullivan’s attorney, Charles Porter, was not available Thursday morning for comment.
Sullivan, who was hired in 2011, has been on paid administrative leave since the investigation was launched in January, Ross police said in a statement. Police department officials contacted outside law enforcement agencies to investigate when they learned about the incident, according to the statement.
“Earlier this year, the Ross police department became aware of a situation in which internal files were accessed without the appropriate permissions,” according to the statement. “These were accessed from within the system by an employee.”
Ross police said the incident has not had an impact on public safety.
“The files accessed were internal department-related files,” according to the statement. “There were neither issues in regards to the safety of the public nor any past or ongoing criminal investigations.”
In its statement, Ross police said Sullivan’s “future employment status is currently under administrative action.”
