ALBERT LEA — Freeborn County administration is investigating a suspected data breach within law enforcement, according to Administrator John Kluever.

He said he and other information technology staff are looking into the possibility that someone was unnecessarily viewing open investigation files and disseminating parts of those files in the public.

He declined to comment on how the suspected breach was discovered and whether it has any connection to the upcoming election in the Freeborn County Sheriff’s Office.

“If you access something for a nongovernmental purpose, that would be a data breach,” Kluever said.

He hopes to have more answers by the end of next week.

Kluever said if a data breach is found, state statute requires officials to contact anyone who might have been affected.

The Freeborn County Sheriff’s Office has been rife with controversy and even an anonymously defamatory website, which also is under investigation. It’s unclear whether the data breach is related.

Look to the Tribune for more information as it becomes available.