By Police1 Staff
LOS ANGELES — Two Los Angeles Police Department officers have become victims of an internet practice known as ‘doxxing’ in the wake of the fatal shooting of a man on Skid Row.
According to CBS Los Angeles, the officers’ names, addresses and information on their children’s schools were posted online. The department did not indicate whether or not the two victims were involved in Sunday’s deadly shooting.
‘Doxxing,’ a practice of obtaining a person’s personal information and putting it on the web, has been a widely-used tactic among members of hacktivist collectives.
This is not the first instance in which LA officers have become victims of such online attacks. In 2012, over 100 cops belonging to the Los Angeles County Police Canine Association had their addresses, names and phone numbers published, according to CNET.
In 2013, current Police Chief Charlie Beck also found himself a victim of the practice when his financial information was leaked to a website, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Sunday’s officer-involved shooting during a reported struggle over a cop’s service weapon has prompted public outcry after a video of the incident was widely distributed over social media. On Tuesday, hundreds marched in downtown LA to the LAPD’s headquarters in protest.