THAT’S NO SNOW: Kids enjoy the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade last Thursday under a shower of confetti, some of which turned out to include personal data from Nassau police documents (inset). (
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Nassau County cops were fuming yesterday that shredded — but still readable — police documents were turned into confetti that rained down on the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
“If that type of information falls into the wrong hands, you can do a lot with it,” said one cop. “You had everyone on there, officers, witnesses, people involved in cases. It’s absolutely dangerous, and they need to figure out how to make it stop.”
Another angry officer — whose personal data was among the strips of confetti found in the street — said simply, “We’re not happy about it.’’
It’s unclear how the paperwork — which is supposed to be shredded and disposed of separately by each Nassau precinct — made its way to Manhattan.
A Macy’s spokesman said only that colored blank paper is used as confetti but that spectators can bring their own.
The Nassau PD finally began investigating the bizarre security breach two days after it was reported by the media.
The department’s press officer yesterday contacted the family that found the confidential confetti — but not until a family member called.
“It occurred to me this morning that instead of waiting for them to call, I would call them,” said Saul Finkelstein, an Upper West Side attorney whose son collected a pile of the sensitive scraps at the parade.
The press officer returned his call a few hours later.
“We haven’t started the investigation yet, but that’s what we do — we solve crimes — and I’m sure we’ll figure it out. All we know so far is what we’ve seen in the press,” Finkelstein said the press officer told him.
Last night, Finkelstein met with two detectives who came to take away the confetti.
“We just started the investigation, the wheels turn slowly,” he quoted one of the cops as saying. “They said they have to gather materials and look at things from a forensic perspective.
“They thought they could wait until tomorrow, but the powers that be told them to come out tonight.”
When Finkelstein was asked by The Post if he thought the investigation was progressing slowly he said, “It’s the holidays.”
Cops are demanding action.
“Some of these guys are in the big squads, robbery, homicide, undercover guys. To have their personal information out there in the street is not what you want,” said one.
“A lot of guys are wondering if their stuff is out there.’’
Police Benevolent Association President James Carver agreed:
“Any time you have people’s Social Security numbers out there, that’s not a good thing . . . There obviously needs to be a change in procedure.’’