NORTHFIELD — Town Administrator Willie Morales’ access to police emails is drawing scrutiny within the town and has police Chief Robert Leighton reaching out to state agencies and the FBI.

Since the issue arose last week, the Selectboard has revised the town personnel policy that had allowed Morales’ access to all town emails, including sensitive police communication. The board changed the policy’s wording at a Tuesday meeting.

The retrieval of the police chief’s emails was one factor in the Selectboard’s decision last week to have the town’s lawyer begin talks with Morales’ attorney about the administrator leaving the town’s employment. Also, last Friday, Morales was placed on paid administrative leave by Selectboard Chairwoman Tracy Rogers after she made an executive decision, with the advice of the town’s lawyer.

Previously, the town administrator had unrestricted access to all emails on the town hall email server. The policy updates made Tuesday restrict the administrator from accessing emails containing information about Police Department business. Also, any email access by town officials must now be approved by a vote of the Selectboard.

Morales has said he accessed Leighton’s emails because he wanted to know about the chief’s correspondence with a former town administrator concerning current town personnel matters, over which Morales has oversight. Morales has also said that he didn’t intend or want to quit his job, although the Selectboard is hoping for an amicable “separation.”

The policy changes were made in response to the chief’s complaint about Morales’ access to police department emails. Meanwhile, the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office stopped the Northfield Police Department from communicating any potentially sensitive information to its office by email. The district attorney is requiring a letter from the Selectboard confirming that the personnel policy has been changed before it will resume normal communications with the department, Leighton said.

The police chief emphasized the personally sensitive nature of much of his official communications, which include emails regarding abuse of children, juvenile offenses and rape statements and investigations.

“I don’t think anyone in this room would want those sensitive emails to go anywhere else but the police department or district attorney’s office if one of their family members were involved,” Leighton said Tuesday. “I protect the integrity of my reports and the information they include at the highest level.”

Leighton has also contacted several other agencies regarding accessibility of the emails. The Massachusetts Department of Children and Families and the Massachusetts Department of Criminal Justice Information Services have required Leighton to file reports with their respective commissioners regarding the details and extent of the email retrieval. Leighton said he will need to review more than a thousand emails before he will be able to write the reports.

Leighton also said the state attorney general is considering a criminal investigation into the access to the department’s emails, and that he is beginning communications with the FBI’s cyber crimes unit regarding whether the email “breach” may have violated federal law.

The email accessibility was one of the complaints brought against Morales last week in a special Selectboard meeting. Although the town hall personnel policy did, until Tuesday, state that the town administrator was to have “unrestricted access” to town hall emails, the email retrieval was alleged to have been improper because Morales sought emails regarding a dispute between himself and Leighton.

Contact Max Marcus
at 413-772-0261, ext. 261,
or at mmarcus@recorder.com

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