The individual that purchased the car could have used the data to commit identity theft

Nov 16, 2011 14:14 GMT  ·  By

A former police officer, once employed at the Clayton County Police department, sold his car but forgot to remove notebooks that were filled with information he'd gotten from victims during his investigations.

WSBTV reports that the former law enforcement officer was laid off his job after his superiors discovered he left behind evidence of an inquiry in his patrol car.

The notebooks in question were found by the vehicle's new owner several months after the purchase under the front seat. He claimed he didn't use the vehicle until then.

The information contained in them was gathered during all sorts of investigations from traffic violations to animal abuse and the data could have been easily utilized to commit identity fraud.

Clayton County Police representatives state that the notebooks should have been burned or shredded as that's how their internal policy dictates it.