CLICK FOR LINK Published Thursday July 08, 1999

State Patrol's Warrants Lost in Computer Glitch

BY TANYA EISERER

WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

A Y2K-related computer glitch in the Nebraska State Patrol's crime database resulted in the loss of misdemeanor warrants that had been entered statewide during the past five months, a patrol spokeswoman said Wednesday.

The scope of the problem and whether the warrants can be retrieved are not yet known, said spokeswoman Terri Teuber.

The warrants were erased Wednesday as computer programmers were upgrading the state's system to be Y2K-compliant as it relates to the FBI's National Crime Information Center, Teuber said.

The problem affects misdemeanor warrants entered on the Nebraska Crime Information System since Feb. 10, Teuber said. Authorities accessing the system wouldn't be able to learn whether a suspect has a warrant pending in another jurisdiction if it had been entered after that date.

By 11 a.m. today, Teuber said, the State Patrol will have "a better idea of if we can get those back - and how quickly - without re-entering them."

Law enforcement agencies around the state were sent a teletype about the glitch late Wednesday afternoon, said Douglas County Sheriff Tim Dunning.

Dunning estimated that 2,500 warrants may have been lost but said he would have a more accurate accounting today.

If the warrant data cannot be retrieved, "it will probably take us to the end of July to get all those back in, because you've got to do it by hand," the sheriff said. "You just have to completely re-create the record."

Dunning said he had a hard time believing only misdemeanor warrants could have been affected by the glitch.

Teuber said the only way a felony warrant could have been lost was if a law enforcement agency entered it improperly. When agencies run a check, it runs simultaneously on the federal and state systems, she said. Even if felony data on the state computer system is lost, it is still available on the national system.

"We should not have lost any felony warrants," she said.

---------------------------------

Yup. Bump in the road....

Got guns?

-- Dennis (djolson@pressenter.com), July 08, 1999

Answers

Planes won't fall out of the sky, prison doors won't swing open...

-- Dog Gone (layinglow@rollover.now), July 08, 1999.

But BY GOD that FY2000 rollover on July 1st went off without a hitch, so there CAN'T be any more problems in the wings..... Those "doomers" are so stupid (yark! yark! yark!) ... (I CAN'T be overdrawn, I still have checks!)

-- Dennis (djolson@pressenter.com), July 08, 1999.

Dennis...c'mon...it's only misdemeanors...no problem.

Y2k is nothing...nothing!!!

just keep repeating, "there's no place like home, there's no place like home..."

oh, maybe make that, "there's no place like home with my weapon loaded, there's no place like home with my weapon loaded..."

Good luck tonight!

Mike ==================================================================

-- Michael Taylor (mtdesign3@aol.com), July 08, 1999.

the link address to the actual story - Omaha World Herald

http://www.omaha.com/Omaha/OWH/StoryViewer/1,3153,183488,00.html

-- living in (the@real.world), July 08, 1999.

Yeah, I put a hot link at the very top. says "CLICK FOR LINK". Takes you right to it.

-- Dennis (djolson@pressenter.com), July 08, 1999.

Y2K Pro, please insert your quote here from Ed Yourdon about things beginning to become noticable by Summer 99. TIA!

-- a (a@a.a), July 08, 1999.

Is it just me or what, but havent these guys ever heard of backing up their data on a disk? CIS 101, duh.

-- Cary Mc from Tx (Caretha@compuserve.com), July 08, 1999.

Backup? yeah I got backup, he's pickin' up the doughnuts right now.

-- yessirofficersir (midwestmike_@hotmail.com), July 08, 1999.

midwestmike,

ROTFLMAO!!!

-- Cary Mc from Tx (Caretha@compuserve.com), July 08, 1999.

I certainly hope you sent your backup to "Billy Bob's doughnut Emporium"! Haven't seen FactFinder lately....and you? Lot's of 4th of July orders I suppose.

-- Will continue (farming@home.com), July 08, 1999.

Ummm...

Somebody did some editing on this story. Can't say if it was Dennis, or the World-Herald. It doesn't say anything about Y2K. Here's how it begins:

"Computer programmers were working Thursday to recover thousands of misdemeanor warrants lost this week from the Nebraska State Patrol's crime database.

The warrants were erased earlier this week as programmers were upgrading the state's system to comply with a new system being used by the FBI's National Crime Information Center, said patrol spokeswoman Terri Teuber..."

-- pshannon (pshannon@inch.com), July 08, 1999.

Now - that's an interesting development .....

-- Robert A. Cook, PE (Kennesaw, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), July 08, 1999.

The editing was done by the World Herald. I copied the original story this morning. Dennis' version is (was) verbatim. Interesting, indeed.

-- regular (zzz@z.z), July 08, 1999.

"The warrants were erased Wednesday as computer programmers were upgrading the state's system to be Y2K-compliant". No question that it was related to the implementation of the upgrade, from this statement. Yet all references to Y2K have now been deleted from the link.

Conspiracy theorists will have a field day with this one.

-- regular (zzz@z.z), July 08, 1999.

Hey, regular,

Can you e-mail me an attachment of the copy that you grabbed? My e-mail address is real...

-- pshannon (pshannon@inch.com), July 08, 1999.

Yes the copy appears to be edited but check out the Posted replies, they clearly talk about Y2K

http://www.omaha.com/Omaha/Forums/ViewPost/1,3348,20224,00.html

___________________

rom news story State Patrol's Warrants Lost in Computer Glitch: : : A Y2K-related computer glitch in the Nebraska State Patrol's crime database resulted in the loss of misdemeanor warrants that had been entered statewide during the past five months, a patrol spokeswoman said Wednesday. : : To add your comment, click reply...

Dunning, do you have it out for the State Patrol. Every chance you get your taking a swing at the agency. You were critical when the agency had the training accident and an officer was killed. (Even though I know your officers train the same way) You were critical when a computer programer was found to have a sexual offender history. (Even though federal law prohibited the Patrol from running his criminal history out of state due to his hiring status) Now you do not believe only misdemeanor warrants were lost due to a Y2K problem. You should know felony warrants are entered in both NCIS and NCIC data banks and therefore are completely seperate.

I could point out the problems with your agency. I do not do this out of the respect I have for your line officers on the street and those working behind the scenes.

__________ SNIP

_______________________

From news story State Patrol's Warrants Lost in Computer Glitch: : : A Y2K-related computer glitch in the Nebraska State Patrol's crime database resulted in the loss of misdemeanor warrants that had been entered statewide during the past five months, a patrol spokeswoman said Wednesday. : : To add your comment, click reply...We should all be very afraid!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

------------------------------------

Well so much for the media keeping us informed on an important subject like Y2K...

Keep the faith

-- helium (heliumavid@yahoo.com), July 08, 1999.

Here's something interesting...Readers of the World-Herald can post comments on-line about the stories. The first comment posted by Thomas at 8:09 AM this morning quotes the now-missing sentence: "A Y2K-related computer glitch in the Nebraska State Patrol's crime database resulted in the loss of..." Check it out here: http://www.omaha.com/Omaha/Forums/ViewPost/1,3348,20224,00.html

Curious...

-- RUOK (RUOK@yesiam.com), July 08, 1999.

Y2K, the dirty little secret untouchable unmentionable word.
Until 1/1/2000
Time Will Tell

-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), July 08, 1999.

Here's the snips I posted this morning at my local Y2k forum. Hope this helps.

posted 07-08-99 11:26 AM CT (US)

A Y2K-related computer glitch in the Nebraska State Patrol's crime database resulted in the loss of misdemeanor warrants that had been entered statewide during the past five months, a patrol spokeswoman said Wednesday.

The scope of the problem and whether the warrants can be retrieved are not yet known, said spokeswoman Terri Teuber.

The warrants were erased Wednesday as computer programmers were upgrading the state's system to be Y2K-compliant as it relates to the FBI's National Crime Information Center, Teuber said... [snip]

If the warrant data cannot be retrieved, "it will probably take us to the end of July to get all those back in, because you've got to do it by hand," the sheriff said. "You just have to completely re-create the record."

Dunning said he had a hard time believing only misdemeanor warrants could have been affected by the glitch.

Teuber said the only way a felony warrant could have been lost was if a law enforcement agency entered it improperly. When agencies run a check, it runs simultaneously on the federal and state systems, she said. Even if felony data on the state computer system is lost, it is still available on the national system.

"We should not have lost any felony warrants," she said.

[end snip]

Does anyone require further "proof"?

-- Steve (hartsman@ticon.net), July 08, 1999.

I sent an Email to the paper asking them why they changed the story, I suggest other forum members also write and ask them.

________________________

Sir;

I read your story posted at:

http://www.omaha.com/Omaha/OWH/StoryViewer/1,3153,183488,00.html

I read it this morning, and I just reread it. It appears you have removed all reference to Y2K. I am interested Why you made this choice?

"My Name" San Jose, CA

PS: the posts attached to the article still refer to Y2K.

-- helium (heliumavid@yahoo.com), July 08, 1999.

I asked the writer to respond to my question here. I'll check back tomorrow for any response.

-- regular (zzz@z.z), July 08, 1999.

Note also, if you try to post a reply to the story the header comes up:

: From news story State Patrol's Warrants Lost in Computer Glitch: : : A Y2K-related computer glitch in the Nebraska State Patrol's crime database resulted in the loss of misdemeanor warrants that had been entered statewide during the past five months, a patrol spokeswoman said Wednesday. : : To add your comment, click reply...

___________________

However the submit button does not work (could be my browser not them).

Someone else should post a reply.

-- helium (heliumavid@yahoo.com), July 08, 1999.

Now, we know the Dept of Justice has been assigned poor grades in the past by Congressman Horn and Sen Bennett (and other monitoring groups), right?

So, are we really sure that this "national" database (vunerable of course to data corruption from the states feeding it bad data next year/this year as various states update their various databases? In other words, could this Y2K-induced flaw at the state level have corrupted the national database too? If it did, would they report it? Would they know it was corrupted?

Notice that this spokesperson at the state level can't be sure - she keeps using "should not", "would not" etc.

___

A second point here - and this editing of the story was caused by "who" calling "who"?

But the media is independent and trustworthy - right?

-- Robert A. Cook, PE (Kennesaw, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), July 08, 1999.

The questiions about editing continue unanswered Why was the article altered?

-- RUOK (RUOK@yesiam.com), July 09, 1999.

VELLY "interesting."

Yes, there is an impartial newsmedia, Virginia.

No, good investigative journalism is not a dying art.

(Busted!).

Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), July 09, 1999.

I would like to keep this story near the top until some questions have been answered. Since the publication of the article, and its subsequent editing, I have written to both the Omaha World Herald and the Nebraska State Patrol asking for an explanation (and an update on the status of the missing misdemeanor warrants). So far, no response has been received. It is interesting to note, too, that on the Nebraska State Patrol's web page there is no mention of this story in their news releases link. Doesn't it qualify as news that the State Patrol is unable to access five months worth of misdemeanor warrants? An internet search shows that the author of the article, reporter Tanya Eiserer, has done some good investigative reporting, originally in Abilene, Texas, and now in Omaha. I've been unable to locate contact information for Ms. Eiserer, and would be interested in her comments about having her story edited. If anyone knows how to contact her, please consider doing so.

I am including here Robert Cook's July 9 post at the World Herald, which has also gone unanswered:

AUTHOR: Robert A Cook
DATE: Friday July 09, 1999 at 07:58 PM
SUBJECT: Re: State Patrol's Warrants Lost in Computer Glitch

MESSAGE BODY

Well - it has now been a few more hours, and still several mysteries remains unanswered by the Omaha World-Herald staff:

Why was the story edited to remove references to year 2000 computer problems?

Who told the World Herald to edit the story, and why did they (the World Herald) agree to edit it? (I'm sure that the Washington Post would have deleted references to Nixon when the White House requested it back in 1973 ... after all, they deleted references to Chinese bribes when the White House wanted it in 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, ....)

What actually happened to the national files, and were the national felony files actually corrupted?

Are the national files vunerable to potential year 2000 troubles from corrupt state and local databases - since less than 1/4 of local governments are even planning to upgrade their systems?

What is the status of the minor files? If the felony files are recovered, are the misdem. files also back on line yet?

-- RUOK (RUOK@yesiam.com), July 10, 1999.

To the top.

This is too important to let slide.

-- We need (an@answer.now), July 10, 1999.

music maestro, ya got that little tune from the final Jeopardy question?

-- To The Top (w@iting.still), July 11, 1999.

Once more to the top

-- RUOK (RUOK@yesiam.com), July 11, 1999.

Update: Still no reply from Omaha World Herald or Nebraska State Patrol. Learned via e-mail from Roleigh Martin (columnist for Westergaard Year 2000)that he has contacted the Omaha World Herald asking for an explanation.

Ed Meagher (co-host of the "Y2K Investor" Radio Program in Washington, D.C.) placed this comment on the Omaha World Herald website: "Could the author or her editor explain the journalistic rationale behind the editing that took place between the first published vesion of this story and the current one? All references to Y2K have been mysteriously removed."

-- RUOK (RUOK@yesiam.com), July 11, 1999.

Perhaps they think that, if they ignore the problem, the problem will go away.

Hmmmmn. Seems to have worked (so far!) for Y2K programming errors for the FAA, right?

-- Robert A Cook, PE (Kennesaw, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), July 12, 1999.

To the top.

(I've always wanted to do that.)

-- Lane Core Jr. (elcore@sgi.net), July 13, 1999.

Lane, it is fun, isn't it? The silence from Nebraska is deafening.

-- one more time (hereitgoes@g.ain), July 13, 1999.

With feeling!

This story needs more exposure. I just sent a link to it to Art Bell and, for the folks in Western PA, to Rose at the war room. Wonder if 60 Minutes might be interested in this as a follow up to their earlier Y2K story . . . Anybody have an email address for them handy?

-- Faith Weaver (suzsolutions@yahoo.com), July 13, 1999.

Faith,

I don't find an e-mail contact for 60 minutes, but here's a snail mail and phone number

Address:

60 Minutes
524 West 57th St.
New York, New York 10019

Phone:
(212) 975-3247

Robert Cook posted this comment at the World-Herald site:

"So, are we really sure that this "national" database (vunerable of course to data corruption from the states feeding it bad data next year (and this year) as various state agencies update their various databases? In other words, could this Y2K-induced flaw at the state level have corrupted the national database too? If it did, would they report it? Would they know it was corrupted?"

(Referencing the original, unedited article: "The warrants were erased Wednesday as computer programmers were upgrading the state's system to be Y2K-compliant as it relates to the FBI's National Crime Information Center, Teuber said.")

This is an interesting comment when viewed alongside this thread: http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=0015 B4

The following is reported:

"The FBI shut down the national instant background check computers for maintenance"

eyes_open (best@wishes.net), July 13, 1999

-- RUOK (RUOK@yesiam.com), July 13, 1999.

RUOK--Thanks. Whether federal databases have been/will be corrupted as a result of states' activities is something we can only speculate about, I suppose. Certainly we won't get the facts from any official sources. I think the big question here is who made the decision to change the original report? And what was the motivation?

-- Faith Weaver (suzsolutions@yahoo.com), July 14, 1999.

Now _that's_ an interesting development....

Thanks RUOK. "Maintenance" can mean many things, of course.

But to answer the unasked question: "Yes, I'm paranoid. But am I paranoid enough?"

-- Robert A Cook, PE (Kennesaw, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), July 14, 1999.

I heard today that there was an AP story on this same Nebraska state- patrol incident, and that it too mentioned Y2K. Has anybody seen it?

-- Lane Core Jr. (elcore@sgi.net), July 14, 1999.

The silence is increasingly deafening.....

Maybe these folks think if they ignore this 'trivial' question of ours we'll go away and forget it ever happened.

Ya' think?

-- Wilferd (WilferdW@aol.com), July 15, 1999.

See http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch- msg.tcl?msg_id=0015S9.

-- Lane Core Jr. (elcore@sgi.net), July 15, 1999.

Lane,

Thanks for the link; I had missed that one. I think, when the original article is compared to the "sanitized" version, Mr. King's explanation doesn't hold up to scrutiny. It stretches his credibility for him to claim that readers don't know what the word "Y2K" means, so rather than add the standard media boilerplate about the two digit date, all references to Y2K are deleted! Beyond that, there is more to the editing than just the deletion of the word "Y2K"...there is the matter of "cleaning up" the parallel story about exactly *what* warrants were really lost, and Dunner's skepticism about it being confined to misdemeanor warrants only.

From the link, here is the e-mail reply helium received from the executive editor of the Omaha World-Herald:

On an earlier thread, a newspaper took a story which spoke of Y2K bad news and change it to remove all reference to Y2K

http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=0013bd

I wrote a email to the website and got back the following:

____________________________

Subject: Y2K

Date: Mon, 12 Jul 1999 16:05:18 -0500

From: lking@omaha.com (King, Larry)

To: xx.xx.com

Mr. Helium,

We often change articles between editions -- those in print and those on line. Y2K is a coined abbreviation that does not appear in most newspapers' style manuals. While one could argue that everyone knows what Y2K means, that is not necessarily the case. In any event, it is not good practice for a newspaper to start using coined terms when individual reporters decide to put them in an article.

Larry King

Executive Editor

-- RUOK (RUOK@yesiam.com), July 15, 1999.

His answer evades both the question and the reason behind the question: and makes absolutely no sense technically nor professionally.

If a "new" term cannot be accepted because it does not appear in the newspaper "style" book - then in the 1960's, the paper could not have used the term Mercury, Gemini, nor Apollo for spacecraft; it could not have used "Patriot" or "Scud-buster" in covering the Gulf War, it would not be able to print the words "Gulf-War Symdrome, nor "post-tramautic-stress-syndrome" or any other more recent technical item - up to an including the "Internet", "email", or the "web" - none of which existed either when the newspaper's "style sheet" was first issued.

-- Robert A Cook, PE (Kennesaw, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), July 15, 1999.

I've been aware of this ethical dilemma amoung online reporters and editors for a few years. Declan has a handle on it. I'll bet Drew does as well. Let us know what they have to say.

Hallyx

"Truth and lies are Siamese twins, joined at the lips."---Richard Thieme

-- (Hallyx@aol.com), July 15, 1999.

"A lie would make so sense if the truth were not dangerous."

-- John beck (eurisko111@aol.com), July 16, 1999.

The World-Herald did two followup articles on July 9. The first one (http://www.omaha.com/Omaha/OWH/StoryViewer/1,3153,184071,00.html) doesn't mention Y2K, but the second one (http://www.omaha.com/Omaha/OWH/StoryViewer/1,,184261,00.html) does. It's interesting to note that the Y2K reference didn't reappear until it was clear that the problem could be fixed quickly. It appears that the Y2K label can be applied to problems that are presented as minor inconveniences, but not if the public might think they were potentially serious.

In contrast, the Lincoln Journal-Star's version of the original story (http://www.journalstar.com/archives/070999/neb/sto6) does mention Y2K, as well as addressing the question of backup data.

-- st in Neb. (st428@hotmail.com), July 16, 1999.

the masses are being manipulated, they know it and they dont care.

not just about y2k,finances, culture, etc., but about being manipulated also.

cubic33

-- jorge del valle (intlplastics@mindspring.com), July 16, 1999.

How does this relate to the report of a pipeline accident in Bellingham, WA last month. If you aren't aware of it a gasoline pipeline malfunction dumped 277,000 gallons into a creek which caught fire and killed three kids. The blame was placed on a SCADA system malfunction. The system had been acting up before and after the accident. It had been "modified" sometime before the problems. Was this article sanitized also? It was at:www.seattle-pi.com/pi/local/pipe09.shtml

-- john robertson (mgrmos@aol.com), July 16, 1999.

This kind of thng keeps on happening,story`s changing or disappearing all together.I recently read an online story from the Washington Post were they admitted Washington D.C. was in a lot of trouble and then I went back to show it to someone and it was gone.I cant evenfind proof it was even there and friends I told think I made it up.Anyone who can help me find this article or who knows where I can view it online please E-MAIL me.

-- Robert Tuner (me@hempwizard.8m.com), July 16, 1999.

The saga continues at this LINK. CLICK HERE.

Dennis

-- Dennis (djolson@pressenter.com), July 16, 1999.

john robertson- I posted this on a different forum, but it was easier to repost part of it than rewrite it...

It appears that more information is out about the pipeline explosion in Bellingham, Washington that occurred on 10 June; which has also prompted a pipeline safety advisory bulletin (the actual bulletin is located at http://ops.dot.gov/foia/adb9903.htm). In my opinion, one of the more interesting quotes was the following, as this is the type of situation that could be expected during the rollover:

"The combination of the database error, the inadequate reserve capacity of the SCADA processor and the unusually dynamic changes that occurred during the upset condition appear to have combined and temporarily overburdened the SCADA computer system," regulators said.

Article Link - National alert from pipeline accident: Regulators urge review of computer systems http://www.seattle-pi.com/pi/local/pipe09.shtml

Pipeline Alert Text is at - http://ops.dot.gov/foia/adb9903.htm

-- Laura O'Hare (geglaura@aol.com), July 17, 1999.