Official city documents possibly found in College Park dumpster launches investigation

COLLEGE PARK, Ga. - The City of College Park has launched an investigation to figure out how what appeared to be official city documents ended up in a dumpster.

A resident found the highly confidential documents in a recycling bin near City Hall off of Harvard Avenue. FOX 5 Atlanta spoke to that resident, Van Orden, who said he turned over everything he found, including about fifteen hundred pages worth of highly sensitive government documents, to the state.

In a new statement released by the City of College Park alleges the documents weren't returned until well over a week later.

A College Park resident said he found sensitive and confidential government documents in a dumpster.

The spokesperson added that it is believed that none of the documents were shared, and they have not received any notification indicating that the sensitive information was leaked.

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"If these are in fact City of College Park documents, there is a strict and detailed shredding and destruction protocol for any confidential documents leaving City Hall or being recycled," the spokesperson said. "The City of College Park takes the security of all financial documents, vendor contracts and all employee personnel information very seriously. After a full review, and should the evidence suggest, a potentially criminal investigation will follow by the City of College Park and Fulton County District Attorney's Office."

If the investigation shows there may have been intentional mishandling of the documents, the City of College Park said criminal action may be taken by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation or the Georgia Attorney General's Office.