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Council presses administration over investigation of city right-to-know officer and alleged database access
Summary
Council members pressed the mayor and police about reports that a recently hired city right-to-know officer has been charged in a criminal case and may have inappropriately accessed police records; city leaders said outside prosecutors are leading a criminal probe and cited limits on public comment.
Council members pressed city leaders Monday over how and when they learned that a city right-to-know officer was charged in a criminal case and whether the employee improperly accessed police databases.
Councilman Brian Callahan said he had sent a letter to Northampton County District Attorney Stephen Baratta seeking clarity after media reports and a Lehigh County prosecution that included drug-related charges. Callahan said three city police officers told him the right-to-know officer had accessed the police database without an authorized right-to-know request and asked whether the city had reviewed that access.
Police Chief Gott and Mayor Reynolds said the matter is part of active criminal investigations led by county prosecutors. The mayor said the city learned of the arrest when charges were filed and that investigators in Lehigh and Northampton counties have been involved; both officials said the administration is cooperating but must limit public comment while investigations and potential litigation are pending.
"When we found out about it was when somebody got charged with something," Mayor Reynolds said, adding city human-resources and legal advisers had counselled restraint because of the potential for litigation.
Some council members said they wanted at least a private notice to council — not details of the probe — when the administration learned further vetting by outside prosecutors had reached a point where the city could pursue its own inquiry. Councilman Callahan said he asked months ago whether the city would investigate potential unauthorized access and that he had been told it was a matter for county prosecutors; several members said they would have welcomed an executive-session notification that a criminal inquiry was underway.
Other members urged caution. Councilman Amen said the council is not entitled to investigatory details and stressed that discussing pending criminal allegations in public can risk compromising prosecutions. "We're tiptoeing a very fine line," he said, adding he would defer to prosecutors and the police on investigatory specifics.
A council member reading a prepared statement criticized Mayor Reynolds' hiring decisions and said bringing in an allegedly unqualified right-to-know officer had damaged the city's reputation. The mayor and other officials noted the employee was terminated the day of the arrest.
The council did not take any formal personnel action at the meeting. City officials said they would continue to coordinate with county prosecutors. Several council members said they expect to be updated after the criminal process concludes and said any internal personnel review should follow prosecutors' work.
Next steps: prosecutors in Lehigh and Northampton counties continue their investigations; the council did not vote to open an internal probe during the public meeting.
