2 Activists Sought Via Police Computer : Records: Anaheim department terminal was used in effort to obtain the home addresses of abortion rights advocates, who were later picketed.

Police said Wednesday that an Anaheim Police Department computer was used to search state records in an apparent effort to obtain the home addresses of two abortion rights activists.

Police had previously acknowledged that someone used the computer to gain access to state records seeking the home address of one abortion rights activist.

Police, however, are still uncertain who did it or whether any information was illegally given to anti-abortion demonstrators, who later picketed the home of one of the activists. Police suggested that someone not assigned to use the computer may have operated a terminal when it was left unattended.

Lt. Marc Hedgpeth said the activists’ license plate numbers were traced using Department of Motor Vehicle records last November on a terminal operated by a civilian employee, who recently moved to another state. He said that operator--whom he would not identify--has “categorically denied” tracing the license plate numbers.

It is against state law for police employees to leak privileged DMV information such as addresses to outsiders.

Chris Criner, a volunteer at an abortion clinic and a member of the Orange County Pro-Choice Coalition, had his Tustin house picketed by anti-abortion demonstrators in February.

He filed a compliant in March with the department when the DMV told him an Anaheim police computer had been used to cull his address from its files. He believes someone in the department gave his address to the anti-abortion demonstrators who picketed his home.

Hedgpeth said the leader of that demonstration--whom he refused to identify--denied to investigators that he learned Criner’s address from an Anaheim police employee.

The leader “bragged to us he could get the information using other methods, including following people home,” Hedgpeth said. Addresses can often be obtained legally by checking county voter rolls and property records.

While investigating Criner’s complaint, Hedgpeth said, police learned that, about the same time, the same department computer terminal had also been used to trace the address of a second abortion rights activist. But the person has a “confidential” DMV file, which blocks even the police from obtaining a home address.

The civilian employee whose terminal was used told police he or she is “not involved with either side of the abortion debate,” Hedgpeth said.

“This was a person we never had a problem with and there is no reason to doubt” that person, he said. “Our investigation has not found any evidence that information was released to someone outside the Police Department.”

The chief and department were “embarrassed” that even the possibility of a security breach existed, Hedgpeth said.

Police Chief Joseph T. Molloy wrote Criner and the other abortion rights activist to tell them the department had investigated the matter and taken appropriate administrative measures.

Because it is possible that someone else used the terminal while the operator took a break, Hedgpeth said, the department now requires computer operators to turn off their terminals if they are leaving the area.

“We have warned them that they will be held responsible for anything that is done on their computer and that they could be fired for something somebody else might do,” Hedgpeth said.

Anita Mangels, co-chairwoman of the Orange County chapter of the California Abortion Rights Action League, said her group is concerned that somebody in the Police Department is “aiding and abetting terrorist acts. If so, we have a real problem.”

Abortion opponents deny they obtain information illegally and say that the demonstration at Criner’s house was peaceful.

“When information (such as addresses) is so easily obtainable in the public record for just about anybody, it would be foolish to obtain the information illegally,” said Jeff White, director of Operation Rescue California. “And the demonstration was not a terrorist act. They try to label anything we do a terrorist act. It was a peaceful demonstration. A classic example of First Amendment rights.”

Times staff writer Matt Lait contributed to this story.