Trial in Graz

Police officer (39) snooped around illegally in files

Among other things, a Styrian officer wanted to see if there was anything against his unloved neighbors. To do this, he accessed the internal police system and called up their data. An absolute no-go for which he ended up in court...

A Styrian police officer who has been suspended for one and a half years sits with his head bowed before the lay judge in Graz (presided over by Gerhard Leitgeb). The 39-year-old is accused of abuse of office and violation of official secrecy. This is because he is said to have used the internal police system to access files that were none of his business. And that is strictly forbidden!

The investigators checked more than 3000 accesses. In the end, there were 14 that were actually illegal. "Yes, I did that. I got carried away out of concern for my children," he affirms.

Yes, I did that. I got carried away because I was worried about my children.

Der suspendierte Beamte

Dispute with neighbors as the trigger
According to his lawyer Andreas Kleinbichler, a bitter dispute with his neighbors was the cause. They had four snappy dogs. When one of the four-legged friends died, his client was accused of being responsible for the animal's death, there was verbal abuse and the neighbors also banged wildly on his front door. Because the police officer was worried, he called up his neighbors' details to see if there were any charges against them.

I didn't pass anything on, not in a single case.

Der angeklagte Polizist

But that's not all: out of compassion for a worried father whose daughter had been raped, he inspected the files to see what she had said to the police. "But I didn't pass anything on," the officer affirms, "in any case."

Fine and community service
In the end, the panel of lay assessors agreed on a diversion: a fine of 250 euros and 180 hours of community service. Public prosecutor Rudolf Fauler also agrees, but does not yet make a statement. Relieved, the policeman thanks him.