In a May 18 letter, the Hanover Police Department revealed that it was subject of a cyber attack that potentially exposed the information of local residents.
"Hanover Police Department experienced a network disruption on January 19, 2026," the letter stated. "Upon discovering the incident, we immediately took steps to secure the network environment and engaged cybersecurity experts to conduct an investigation."
The letter goes on to state that the review of the incident was completed on May 1, 2026. It does not state how the data was accessed.
It notes that the information potentially involved may include first names, last names, and Social Security numbers.
"Upon discovering the incident, we immediately notified federal law enforcement, took steps to secure the network environment, and engaged cybersecurity experts to conduct an investigation," Hanover Town Manager Joe Colangelo. "The forensic investigation determined that certain files containing personal information may have been exposed to an unauthorized party. We have notified all potentially impacted individuals via USPS mail and extended an offer of credit monitoring services at no cost to them."
According to three residents who received the letter, the only personal information of theirs that they knew the police department possessed was firearms permit applications.
This story was updated 5.22.26 at 12:31PM to include a quote from Town Manager Joe Colangelo.