Lawrence, Massachusetts police union calls for mayor's resignation amid allegations of "secret" recordings

A video first shared by local radio show Despierta Lawrence showing a heated argument between the Lawrence, Massachusetts airport manager and the mayor's chief of staff has set off political fireworks in the city. The conversation appears to be about plowing resources for the city's airport.

"I'm respecting you. You respect me," William Castro, the mayor's then chief of staff, can be heard saying. "You're being disrespectful… we have to have all due respect to the mayor. This is not a hallway conversation." 

"Where else can we have [the conversation?]" Airport Manager Francisco Urena responds.

On Thursday, William Castro was fired. "I have made the decision that it is in the best interest of the City to move in a new direction. Mr. William Castro and the City will be parting ways, effective immediately," a letter from Mayor Brian DePeña reads.

It's not the conversation itself – or even the topic – that garnered a huge response.

The video and audio recording of the conversation appears to come from a camera that records inside of Lawrence City Hall's hallways. 

"We are calling for the mayor to step down effective immediately," said David Ginisi, of the New England Police Benevolent Association, the union that represents Lawrence Police officers.

The problem? The union says audio of conversations are being recorded in the hallways without authorization or consent. "We want to know exactly what was recorded, how it was done, and who had access, and whether the law was violated," Ginisi said. "Video surveillance, just to be clear, can be common, but audio recordings without consent is a completely different legal issue."

Ginisi says the union plans to ask the Essex District Attorney's office to investigate. The Essex DA declined to comment for this story.

The City of Lawrence said Mayor DePeña launched an independent investigation into the camera and audio recording in the third-floor hallway on Thursday. 

"The mayor has pledged to release the results of this investigation as soon as it is completed," the City of Lawrence said in a statement Friday night. "While we take all concerns seriously, our priority is to strengthen accountability, professionalism, and public trust in all areas of municipal operations, and the mayor is committed to transparency and respect for the law." 

Even City Council President Jeovanny Rodriguez – who has served 37 days as interim mayor – was shocked to learn of the audio surveillance. 

"I was never aware [of a voice recording]," he said. "When somebody brought it up to me, I was like, 'nope, that's not true. It can't be true. It's like, no, it can't happen.'"

WBZ came to City Hall Friday to check for signage about the cameras, but City Hall was closed due to the Good Friday holiday.

Rodriguez told WBZ he noticed signs being put up very recently that warned only of cameras. "I was not aware of any signage, or anything related to voice recording," he said.

This video is not William Castro's first political controversy. The former Lawrence Police officer and interim police chief had his police license suspended by the state's POST Commission following an investigation into unsafe driving during a police chase and allegations he lied on police reports. 

The City Council President and NEPBA welcomed Castro's firing, but say more accountability needs to happen for Mayor DePeña.

"He needs to hold that responsibility himself, and say, 'we did this, this is wrong, and we want to work on the public trust,'" Rodriguez said.