Juneau, Alaska (KINY) – According to documents acquired by News of the North, the Hoonah City Council requested an investigation of Mayor Gerald Byers and City Administrator Dennis Gray over improper access to closed-circuit video cameras located at the Hoonah Department of Public Safety.
In a memo dated May 10, 2022, Hoonah City Attorney James Sheehan states he was asked by the council to review whether Byers and Gray accessed the cameras, which are managed by the city’s internet provider.
The document states that, in April, Hoonah Police Chief Eric Hurtado made a request to the city council to look into the matter.
According to Sheehan, he found no wrongdoing on the part of Byers or Gray, and that no disciplinary action was merited.
Sheehan declined to comment independently on this story.
“In April 2022, Hoonah Police Chief Eric Hurtado made a claim that Mayor Byers and Administrator Gray obtained improper access to Hoonah cameras located outside and inside the Hoonah Police Station. Those cameras are controlled by Hoonah’s internet provider,” Sheehan wrote.
Sheehan continued that, on May 4, Gray said that Byers had previously asked for access to the cameras. The memo states that, on May 5, the city’s internet provider told Sheehan that it provided access to Gray by giving him passcodes to the cameras.
“During our May 4, 2022 interview, Mr. Gray stated that he did not, in fact, access these cameras during the period for which access was granted,” adding that after becoming aware of Chief Hurtado’s complaint, Gray asked the internet provider that “access be revoked.”
The internet provider, when interviewed by Sheehan said it did not believe Gray accessed the cameras after the codes were provided, but that they also don’t track user access to the cameras.
The memo also states that Byers admitted to seeking access to the cameras in order to verify the working habits of police officers.
“We also spoke with Mayor Byers on May 5, 2022,” Sheehan wrote. “Mr. Byers said that the city had received some complaints about how much time police officers were spending at the police department versus out on patrol and that this was the reason the request for access to the cameras was made. [Byers] said the request was handled by Mr. Gray, and that he was unaware that Chief Hurtado had made a complaint about the request for access until after the fact.”
While no wrongdoing was found regarding the request by Byers or Gray, Sheehan wrote that, in the future, they consult with him or the chief first, before requesting such access.
The memo did, however, advise Hurtado not to approach the city council directly, saying, “Under the [city] code, Chief Hurtado must continue to report to Mayor Byers. Chief Hurtado should not approach the City Council directly with any matters of concern. If a situation arises where Chief Hurtado does not feel comfortable approaching Mayor Byers, Chief Hurtado should be advised to contact me directly, so that we may chart a proper course.”
The image below shows a video camera installed above the entrance to the Hoonah City Jail.
