Portland won’t release police reports about an alleged assault by a city official

Portland City Refuses to Release Police Reports on Former Housing Director’s Alleged Assault

Portland, Maine – The city of Portland has denied a public‑records request by the Portland Press Herald for police reports concerning an alleged February assault by former city director of housing and economic development Gregory Watson. The denial has drawn criticism from First‑Amendment advocates who argue that the city is improperly shielding its employees from public scrutiny.

The Incident and Its Aftermath

The alleged assault took place in February, and a police summons was issued to Watson in March. Watson was placed on leave and resigned in August after the charge was dropped by the Cumberland County District Attorney’s office, which announced on July 30 that it would not pursue the case because the allegations were not provable. While on leave, Watson received a salary of $63,068.

In response to a request for the police documents, Portland officials cited a Maine statute that declares municipal records containing complaints, charges, or accusations of misconduct that could lead to discipline as confidential personnel records. The city’s letter also noted that the district attorney’s office would not provide police reports in Watson’s case because no charges were filed.

A Pattern of Denials

Portland is not new to this approach. Earlier this year, the city used the same statutory basis to refuse a similar request regarding police reports on former code‑enforcement officer Matthew Sarapas, who was convicted of assault in August after the incident was captured in police reports obtained from the county district attorney’s office. City councilor Kate Sykes said the denial was “appropriate” because the reports were deemed a personnel issue and that councilors themselves do not have access to that information.

Legal Debate

The city’s stance has sparked a debate over the scope of Maine’s Freedom of Access Act. Justin Silverman, executive director of the New England First Amendment Coalition, criticized the city’s argument that the involvement of a public employee alone warrants secrecy. “The city seems to be arguing that just because there’s an employee involved, the records should remain secret,” he said. He pointed to Massachusetts and other New England rulings that have held police reports and arrest logs of public employees are not privileged personnel records.

Silverman cited a 2003 Massachusetts case involving a police officer, where an appeals court ruled that the officer’s reports could be disclosed even though they were part of an internal affairs file. He also referenced a 2013 Portland case where a fire‑boat crash report was initially withheld because it was attached to a disciplinary file; a judge later ordered its release, emphasizing that factual investigative details should be accessible to the public.

“Public employees can’t exempt certain records from requests just because they might be involved in a disciplinary proceeding,” Silverman said.

City officials maintain that their decision is grounded in the specific circumstances of Watson’s case and that it does not constitute a blanket policy for all city employees. Mayor Mark Dion declined to comment on the denial.

Current Status

The Portland Press Herald has not received any police records related to Watson’s alleged assault. Watson has not responded to a request for comment. The city’s position remains unchanged, citing Maine’s personnel‑records law as the basis for its refusal to release the documents. The matter is being monitored by both local First‑Amendment advocates and the city’s legal counsel as the debate over transparency and employee privacy continues.