TAUNTON, Mass. (WPRI) — The Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the city of Taunton are at odds over whether footage of Mayor Shaunna O’Connell’s arrest last summer should be made public.
The 55-year-old mayor was taken into custody back in July after her husband told officers she she physically assaulted him during an argument. The domestic assault case was resolved in court months later.
The Taunton Police Department recorded footage of O’Connell’s arrest, as well as from inside the booking room.
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Numerous media outlets, including WPRI 12, filed public records requests for that footage with the Taunton Police Department. Each of those requests were denied, with the city arguing that the footage was confidential because it involved domestic abuse allegations.
The Taunton Daily Gazette filed an appeal with Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin, whose office oversees public records. Galvin’s office ruled back in April that, while body-worn camera footage from O’Connell’s arrest was exempt from disclosure, footage from the booking room could be released in a redacted form.
In a follow-up decision on May 14, the state gave the city 10 days to release portions of the booking room footage. But that hasn’t happened.
Taunton City Solicitor Matthew Costa instead sent a lengthy email to Galvin’s office on May 29 seeking further clarification about exactly what footage has to be released.
Holly Robichaud, a spokesperson for O’Connell’s reelection campaign, said the decision not to release the footage was made by the Taunton Police Department, not the mayor.
“It is consistent with their record keeping policies not to release along with state law,” Robichaud told 12 News in a statement.
The back-and-forth has caught the attention of Taunton City Councilor Estele Borges, who’s running against O’Connell in this fall’s election. Borges released a statement Wednesday chastising the mayor over the city’s failure to comply with the state’s order.
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“This is about transparency, accountability and leadership,” Borges told 12 News. “We’re lacking that right now.”
Borges argued that as an elected official, O’Connell should be “held to a higher standard.”
“We owe it to the public,” she said.
Robichaud hit back at Borges, saying, “The mayor’s opponent knows that this decision is from the police department. For her to claim otherwise is completely dishonest and disrespectful to the police department.”
O’Connell declined a request for an on-camera interview with 12 News about the matter.
It’s unclear if and when the booking room footage will be released. Costa told 12 News he’s still waiting for guidance from the state on which portions of the footage must be made public.
Lauren Brill and Ted Nesi contributed to this report.
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