Police probe girl's claims

[InfoSec News <isn () c4i org>]

http://www.newsobserver.com/front/story/2579239p-2393565c.html

also: http://indyweek.com/durham/current/triangles.html


By ANNE BLYTHE
Staff Writer
May 31, 2003 

CHAPEL HILL -- Police Chief Gregg Jarvies put three officers on
administrative leave with pay pending the outcome of an investigation
into a Chapel Hill High School student's allegations that two of the
investigators misrepresented themselves as members of an FBI Cyber
Crime Task Force.

Two senior administrators in the department have been assigned to find
out what happened May 2, when Erin Carter, 17, a junior at Chapel Hill
High, was pulled out of an afternoon assembly and told to report to
the principal's office.

Until that report is complete, Chapel Hill officers Steve Anson, John
W. Moore and Bryan Walker will be on administrative leave.

"I'm concerned about the allegations, and that's what they are now is
allegations," Jarvies said. "That's the reason for the change in job
status."

The incident began, according to school and police officials, when
problems surfaced with the computer network at Chapel Hill High and
administrators suspected hacking had occurred.

After she was pulled out of the assembly, Carter was greeted in the
office by Principal Mary Ann Hardebeck and two men attired in Navy
blue golf shirts with what looked to be yellow FBI logos. The men,
Moore and Walker, were Chapel Hill police officers who had gone to the
school to investigate why approved personnel had been having
difficulties logging on to the network.

It's still not known what caused the computer problems. But school
technicians continue to look into the incident.

IT unit in planning

Moore, Walker and Anson, a Chapel Hill officer who is assigned to work
nearly four days each week in Raleigh with the FBI Cyber Crime Task
Force, are the department's go-to guys when a computer crime is
suspected.

But neither Moore, an investigator with the Chapel Hill force for
nearly 11 years, nor Walker, a Chapel Hill officer for more than 12
years, is officially part of the federal cyber crime task force.

"In late summer or early fall, we're going to establish an IT
[information technology] unit," Jarvies said. "As a part of that,
they're receiving training with the FBI."

Although neither is a federal officer, Moore and Walker presented
themselves as members of the federal task force, according to Carter
and Hardebeck. Moore even gave the student a business card that has
FBI in big blue letters at the top, then Cyber Crime Task Force below
it, then his name with the words "task force agent" just below.  
Carter, disturbed by the questioning, laminated the card as a
keepsake.

"It is not a card that we have issued or something the FBI would
issue," Jarvies said.

'Not very nice'

The officers wanted to know more about Carter's Web log, or "blog" as
she calls the journal and sounding board. They had stacks of printouts
from her site and questioned her about the content she had posted.

"They thought I knew more than I was telling," Carter said. "It was
really weird and not very nice. They were like, 'Well, you might hear
from us again, you might not.' "

Hardebeck, who was in the room during the questioning, said she
thought the police officers gave the impression that they were working
with the FBI. "I'm not sure they used the particular words that they
were FBI agents, but they gave that impression," Hardebeck said. "It
was an unusual experience."

Staff writer Anne Blythe can be reached at 932-8741 or
ablythe () newsobserver com.



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