The strange case of Scott Parker, Oxford County’s embattled Emergency Management Agency director, got a little stranger last week when it was revealed county officials have been sitting on a legal opinion clearing Parker of wrongdoing.

The case has been wrapped in mystery since May when Parker was suspended for allegedly misusing E-911 database information.

Neither Parker nor county officials have said much since then. Thursday, however, Parker got the public hearing he had been seeking and the case became clearer.

Parker was accused of sharing confidential lists of names, addresses and phone numbers with public safety officials in five towns.

He did so while setting up a mass-notification system to warn residents of impending emergencies, a system that had been approved by county commissioners.

The system would allow public officials to make a single phone call rather than sending police and firefighters to affected homes.

Each town was asked to select three people from among the fire chief, police chief, local EMA officials, town clerk or selectmen to receive training and passwords to use the system.

Parker reportedly printed some training manuals that contained copied screen grabs of actual names and telephone numbers.

On May 26, Sheriff Wayne Gallant contacted Parker and told him he might be violating strict 911 confidentiality standards.

After receiving Gallant’s call, Parker says he returned to his office and shut down the City Watch computer program. The training manuals, meanwhile, were retrieved by sheriff’s deputies.

On June 1, the Sheriff’s Office sent information about the case to Assistant District Attorney Joseph O’Connor.

On June 6, in a letter to the sheriff, O’Connor said he had concluded there was no intent to commit a crime, and that no charges could be brought against Parker.

“There is no indication that any of the database information has been used for any improper purpose,” O’Connor wrote. “There is no suggestion that Mr. Parker acted with any malicious intent in disclosing this information; to the contrary, it seems that he felt he was promoting public safety and also trying to save taxpayers’ money.”

O’Connor went on to say that distributing the information created a “potential” violation of law. Any one of the trusted public officials could have improperly used the information.

Yes, that’s true. But that seems to be the same risk we run by allowing anyone — including law enforcement personnel and dispatchers — to use the E-911 system.

Anyone with access can mis-use the information, but they also can be prosecuted for doing so.

Giving people access to confidential information always involves balancing potential public harm against greater public benefit.

In Parker’s case, the people given access to the information were designated public officials. They were warned that the information was confidential and told to keep training materials under lock and key.

County Administrator Scott Cole has recommended that county commissioners fire Parker, but that would be an unfortunate over-reaction.

Over the past six years, Parker has worked hard to prepare Oxford County for disasters. He has been aggressive about doing his job, which may had rubbed some people the wrong way.

Instead of firing him, commissioners should revisit their decision to participate in the City Watch system and determine who should have access to the confidential database.

It’s time to drop this case and put Parker back to work.

rrhoades@sunjournal.com

The opinions expressed in this column reflect the views of the ownership and editorial board.

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