A Crystal police lieutenant who is a recognized expert on the use of force has been charged with using the state driver's license databases to search numerous times for information on a former girlfriend.
Derrick Hacker, 48, is accused of accessing the Minnesota Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS) database on 60 separate occasions in 2019 and 2021, according to an investigation by the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA). He is charged with 12 gross misdemeanor and six misdemeanor counts including misconduct by a public officer, unauthorized penetration of a computer security system and violation of the state data practices act.
Paul Rogosheske, Hacker's attorney, said Friday that Hacker was conducting a "legitimate investigation." He said his client never contacted the alleged victim and that he is innocent of the charges.
Hacker, a member of the Crystal Police Department for 23 years, has testified in several high-profile criminal cases, including the trial of Mohamed Noor, the Minneapolis police officer who was convicted in 2019 of the fatal shooting of Justine Ruszczyk Damond. Hacker holds a mid-level management position and is typically assigned to criminal investigations.
"Mr. Hacker was placed on paid administrative leave after we received the initial complaint and this is his current employment status," Crystal Police Chief Stephanie Revering said in a statement. "We immediately requested third parties to conduct independent criminal and internal investigations regarding this complaint."
Eckberg Lammers, a Stillwater law firm that usually handles prosecutions for Crystal, first learned of the allegations in 2021. The firm agreed to turn the case over to the St. Paul City Attorney's Office because the databases allegedly breached were there and because of the potential for a conflict of interest, said Joe Van Thomme, an attorney at Eckberg Lammers.
Though Hacker was questioned by a BCA investigator in August, criminal charges were not filed until Tuesday. A source familiar with the case said the investigation was not completed until then.
The gross misdemeanor counts each carry a sentence of up to one year in prison and a fine of up to $3,000, and the misdemeanor charges each could result in 90 days in prison and a fine of up to $1,000.