Commonwealth Media Services

Johnny Palmadessa

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HARRISBURG — Thousands of records, including evidence logs from the Pennsylvania State Police’s crime labs, were accidentally deleted from state servers at the start of the year — the result of “human error,” Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration said.

Though the majority of records have been restored, according to administration officials, it is not clear — nor certain — whether the remainder can be recovered.

The data was housed on servers managed by Shapiro’s Office of Administration, which oversees information technology services for most state agencies. Its spokesperson, Dan Egan, said in an emailed statement the data loss, which occurred on Jan. 3 during routine server maintenance, was “limited.” But he also said the office had launched “a thorough review” of its information technology policies and controls.

At least one Office of Administration employee was fired over the incident, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

In an email, State Police spokesperson Myles Snyder said the data mishap impacted two programs used by its Bureau of Forensic Services to log evidence and manage those submissions. The bureau operates six forensic labs and one DNA lab which collectively process crime-related evidence from hundreds of local police departments across the state.

Snyder said the Office of Administration has been able to restore access to “nearly all” of that information. He stressed that no physical evidence was lost.

One local law enforcement official who asked to remain anonymous told Spotlight PA that the data still missing involves evidence logs for more recent crimes — a loss that could affect how those cases are prosecuted in the future. That is because those logs document what is known in law enforcement circles as the chain of custody, or details on the time and place evidence was collected, who handled it, and where it was sent for analysis.

The association representing Pennsylvania’s district attorneys did not respond to a request for comment. The association representing police chiefs in the state could not be reached for comment.

Shapiro’s office referred questions on the matter to the Office of Administration and State Police.

Snyder said the State Police alerted district attorneys and other law enforcement officials of the data loss on Jan. 11, and another letter with updates was sent to them on Monday. Spotlight PA has requested a copy of the letter.

Also on Monday, Shapiro administration officials separately briefed legislative leaders on the matter.

The accidental data erasure, first reported by PennLive, affected at least one other state agency: the Pennsylvania State Employees’ Retirement System (SERS).

There, sign-in data that allowed users to log into the system to review their pension and other benefits was lost, according to SERS’ website. Those people will now have to reset their personal identification numbers.

“No pension or other retirement benefit data was impacted,” SERS’s website states.

Pennsylvania’s Office of Administration, which falls under the governor’s jurisdiction, is responsible for a broad swath of services, among them, overseeing information technology policies, standards, guidelines, and security for most state agencies.

In 2017, as a cost-saving move amid budget problems, former Gov. Tom Wolf directed the consolidation of information technology across state agencies. Before that, many state agencies had their own IT staff and offices.

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Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media.