Saratoga Springs City Council responds to gag order over officer-involved shooting

The Saratoga Springs City Council has reached a resolution on the gag order that prevents them from talking about the officer-involved shooting last month.

Within hours of that shooting, the Saratoga Springs mayor and the public safety commissioner held a news conference, releasing body and security camera footage.

County District Attorney Karen Heggen put a restraining order, preventing officials from sharing more information.

The district attorney said in a letter Friday that did irreparable damage to the investigation and spread misinformation.

The city council strongly disagrees. They’re asking the city attorney to write to Heggen asking her to remove the gag order. They’re also asking to communicate with the district attorney.

Meantime, the city council passed a motion Friday to table the resolution and ask City Attorney Tony Izzo to contact Heggen and let them know of their intention to discuss their disagreements.

The majority of speakers at the meeting were upset with the fact that the mayor and public safety commissioner made the decision to share information close to the investigation. They also expressed outrage that the city was considering legal action to fight the gag order, calling it a waste of resources.

However, the mayor and commissioner repeatedly defended their decision to – in their words – be transparent with the public hours after the shooting.

Hear from the commissioner of accounts and the commissioner of public safety by watching the video of Stella Porter’s story.