Busted in snooping on cop

A former Nassau Child Protective Services worker was

arrested yesterday on charges that he used the state's confidential child

welfare database in an attempt to discredit a police officer who had written

him a speeding ticket, prosecutors said.

Glen Tuifel, 40, was fired April 29 after a Nassau Commission of

Investigations probe found the 13-year CPS veteran had improperly used his

access to the database to dredge up a 5-year-old, unfounded child welfare

complaint against the officer.

The case was referred to the Nassau district attorney's office, which

yesterday charged Tuifel with official misconduct and illegally disclosing

confidential information, misdemeanors.

Tuifel, of Glen Cove, pleaded not guilty in First District Court in

Hempstead. He was released with no bail, but the court issued an order of

protection prohibiting Tuifel from contact with the officer, who was not named.

He faces up to a year in jail if convicted.

Tuifel's attorney, Robert McDonald of Mineola, did not return calls. Tuifel

could not be reached.

According to prosecutors, Tuifel was pulled over and given a ticket for

speeding in September. On Oct. 6, Tuifel logged in to the Connections database

- a statewide child welfare information system maintained by the New York State

Office of Children and Family Services - and discovered that the officer had

been investigated by CPS in 2004.

Child welfare investigators had dismissed the complaint, but Tuifel tried

to use it in court to have his speeding ticket dismissed, prosecutors said. The

motion was denied and Tuifel paid the ticket, prosecutors said.

Later, the Old Brookville officer complained to authorities about Tuifel's

use of the CPS probe information. Tuifel denied that he used his account to

access confidential information, said county investigators, but the database

showed his user name gained access to the officer's file.

Karen Garber, a spokeswoman for the Nassau Department of Social Services,

declined to comment about Tuifel, but said supervisors can obtain details just

on probes handled by their units.