An investigation into a Seattle police officer has revealed how an anchor for the city’s Fox affiliate was getting information about crime victims.
Officer Robert Marlow has been charged with illegal drug possession and computer trespass for giving confidential information about crime victims to KCPQ anchor David Rose.
The leak was discovered after Seattle police and the FBI Public Corruption Squad were investigating a strip club where Marlow was romantically linked to a dancer who he allegedly shared drugs with.
According to the Seattle Times, Rose, who is also ep and host of a weekly crime show, told investigators he would ask Marlow for crime victims phone numbers, but never “maliciously used the information” and was “simply reporting crimes for other potential victims to be aware of, the documents say.”
“Journalists routinely seek out sources to gather and verify information for important stories,” said news director Erica Hill in a statement. “Q13 News relies on our sources in law enforcement to help inform our audience about crimes going on in our area and we use this information carefully and responsibly.”
From The Times:
The Seattle police manual states inquiries through the records system are only to be made for legitimate law-enforcement purposes and are not to be shared with people outside the criminal-justice system without permission of the police chief or by due process of law, according to the documents.
Marlow’s unauthorized conduct constituted criminal trespass, the documents say.
Criminal-records information was sent to Rose between Oct. 19, 2015, and Feb. 11, 2016, according to papers filed by Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Amy Montgomery.