News Summary
The City of Beaufort mistakenly disclosed sensitive information, including personal details of individuals, while responding to a FOIA request. This incident has raised serious privacy concerns, particularly involving a minor’s case linked to human trafficking. The city acknowledged its failure to properly redact documents before their release and has committed to implementing a new FOIA management system to safeguard sensitive data in the future.
Beaufort — The City of Beaufort mistakenly released sensitive information while responding to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request on July 29, raising significant privacy concerns. The disclosure included unredacted documents that contained personal details of individuals involved in various cases, including sensitive forensic information regarding a 12-year-old girl reported as a victim of human trafficking.
Autumn Hollis, the mother of the affected minor, submitted a FOIA request in May to understand how the Beaufort Police Department managed her daughter Emily’s case. Initially, the police classified Emily as a runaway and asserted that potential trafficking activities occurred outside their jurisdiction. However, when the Hollis family received over 9,000 pages of documents, they found that much of the information was not properly redacted, exposing sensitive data belonging to at least 55 individuals.
The unredacted documents contained Social Security numbers, personal addresses, and specific details of Emily’s complete forensic examination, which is generally only released with a court order. Additionally, the documents included unrelated sensitive records, medical data, personnel information of police staff, and toxicology reports. This massive disclosure not only affected the Hollis family but also inadvertently revealed the forensic interview of another minor without prior notification to that child’s family.
Furthermore, the disclosed records highlighted that the Beaufort Police Department had deleted or concealed more than 800 comments from its official Facebook page, raising questions about the agency’s transparency and accountability.
Following the incident, Scott Marshall, the City Manager, acknowledged the city’s failure to adequately review the documents before their release. A miscommunication during a process to combine multiple PDF files resulted in the unintended release of redacted information. Neither city officials nor the police were aware of the security oversight until a city councilman sought the same documents that had previously been sent to the Hollis family.
The Hollis family had aimed to gather evidence demonstrating negligence in the police’s handling of Emily’s case. Instead, they received material that substantiated their claims regarding dysfunction within the city and its police department’s operations.
In light of this incident, the city has committed to implementing a new FOIA management system called NextRequest to bolster data security and minimize the chances of future disclosure errors. The system’s integration is intended to provide enhanced safeguards for sensitive information in public records.
Emily’s disappearance in February had already sparked public controversy, primarily surrounding the police department’s terminology and handling of the situation. The public awareness and scrutiny of the police’s categorization of her case contributed to heightened tension between the community and law enforcement.
In response to the unredacted information release, city officials have issued a public statement recognizing the error and are making efforts to contact individuals affected by the breach. This proactive approach aims to mitigate the fallout from the incident and reassure the community about the city’s commitment to privacy and data protection.
As the situation unfolds, residents and stakeholders remain watchful of how the Beaufort administration addresses these privacy concerns and implements measures to prevent such occurrences in the future.
Deeper Dive: News & Info About This Topic
HERE Resources
Beaufort Police Department Faces Scrutiny Over Missing Girl Case
Additional Resources
- Your Island News: City of Beaufort Makes Huge FOIA Gaffe
- Wikipedia: Freedom of Information Act
- FITSNews: South Carolina Cops Blasted for Leaking Sensitive Info
- Google Search: Beaufort Police Department
- Encyclopedia Britannica: Freedom of Information
Author: STAFF HERE BEAUFORT
The HERE Beaufort Staff Writers are a collaborative team of journalists, editors, and local contributors passionate about delivering accurate, timely information to the Beaufort community. As part of the HEREcity.com Network, which powers over 100 U.S. city sites including HEREcolumbia.com, our staff draws on collective experience in South Carolina journalism to cover everything from business sales and real estate developments to dining deals and community initiatives. Our Expertise and Background: Local Roots in Beaufort : Our team includes lifelong Beaufort residents and SC natives with deep knowledge of the area’s history, economy, and culture. We’ve covered key events like the recent sale of the historic Crofts Block Building, Beaufort’s equestrian heritage, and growth in local tech and education sectors (e.g., BeaufortTechnical College programs). Collective Experience: With over 50 combined years in journalism, our staff has backgrounds in print, digital media, and community reporting. We prioritize fact-based stories, drawing from sources like the Beaufort Chamber of Commerce, city government records, and on-the-ground interviews. Commitment to Quality: Every article is a group effort, involving research, editing, and verification to ensure reliability. We adhere to journalistic standards, citing credible sources and updating content as new details emerge.
