The Alaska Laborers union filed a grievance against the Haines Borough after assembly member Tom Morphet released to the public earlier this month four complaints against local police officers.

Morphet released the complaints during a borough assembly meeting April 11 and drew criticism from other assembly members, interim borough manager Brad Ryan and the police chief Heath Scott.

Two of the complaints are letters from drivers complaining about how they were treated after being pulled over by officers. Rob Goldberg sent a letter to the police and the assembly regarding his concern that officers were harassing his son. One of the complaints was lodged verbally and another was written. Two others were brought to Morphet, one of which he wrote down into a narrative.

In a written press release, business representative for the Alaska Laborers Tom Brice said the grievance was filed on behalf of Haines Police Department officers for the violation of the employees’ contract.

“The Haines Assembly has a responsibility to the community to act in a lawful manner,” Brice wrote. “When dealing with matters that are under investigation by the manager that deal with borough employees, both the code and the contract are clear that information is confidential.”

Morphet made the complaints public after bringing them to Ryan a week before. During the assembly meeting, Morphet said he hadn’t heard back from Ryan and since the recall effort began, he said he needed to make the complaints public while he still had the opportunity.

During that assembly meeting, Ryan said making the complaints public put him in a difficult situation.

Scott described Morphet’s actions as inappropriate and “unprofessional.”

According to the press release, the contract covering the police states, “The Employer and Union agree that all personnel matters are confidential and shall treat personnel matters in a confidential manner absent a legal obligation requiring disclosure.”

Personnel records are defined in the Haines Borough code as “…investigations and tests, annual reports of performance, reports of employee’s progress and disciplinary actions affecting the employee, and such other records as may be significant in the employee’s service to the borough.”

Borough code also states those records “shall be kept by the manager” and “shall not be removed or opened to the public without written authorization of the personnel officer…employee or other authorized person.”

Morphet said he doesn’t believe he revealed personnel records. But in an interview with the CVN, Brice said because the borough was investigating the allegations, the complaints became personnel records.

“When assembly member Morphet passed those allegations over to the executive branch to investigate there was an active investigation that was under review between the manager and the police chief. At that stage of the game investigations are considered part of the personnel records.”

Brice wrote that the effects of Morphet’s disclosure were immediately felt in the police department.

Sergeant Josh Dryden, who was a subject of one of the complaints, said in the press release the complaints were not valid.

“I feel that publishing unfounded, clearly biased ‘complaints’ and calling into question our integrity and competency to do this job is wrong,” Dryden wrote.

Officer Brayton Long, also a subject of the complaints, wrote Morphet is on a “quest to destroy the reputation of the Haines Police Department.”

“This ongoing activity by Morphet is demoralizing department personnel, undermining police officer reputations among the populace, creating a hostile work environment toward police officers from the Haines Borough Assembly, and destroying the relationship between the police department and the community,” Long said.

Brice said the borough has 15 days to respond to the grievance.

“I think at this stage of the game what we’re looking for is an apology, a censure and possibly even some kind of discussion or consideration of how the assembly deals with personnel matters so there’s an understanding of what’s public and what’s not,” Brice said.

Morphet said he regrets he didn’t redact the names of the officers in the complaints and that he’s not on a “witch hunt” against the Haines Police department.

“It wasn’t my intention to name the officers,” Morphet said. “My intent was to clearly demonstrate there were legitimate concerns for how police were approaching people in the community. I wanted a response from the borough.”

The assembly met in executive session during Wednesday’s meeting to discuss the police department.