Daniel Maher wanted the truth to come out.
Redding police officers arrested and booked him into jail on the night of June 28, based on allegations that he was trespassing and resisting arrest. The Redding police chief told Shasta Scout that during the process of arrest and detention, Maher “was taken down to the ground to gain control – both at the car and at the jail.” Maher said that the officers used enough force to break his ribs. Those injuries were confirmed by medical records of a CAT scan taken shortly after his release from jail.
Maher and Shasta Scout both asked Redding to disclose body camera video footage of the arrest. As Maher said to Shasta Scout, “I’ve only wanted the truth and I’ve only wanted transparency. Now that’s for both sides, right? If I’m wrong, then I’m wrong… if I did something wrong, I gotta deal with the consequences of that, but I do believe in transparency. And if it’s to my detriment, then so be it.”
The city denied both requests, claiming the video footage was exempt from disclosure under the California Public Records Act because it was part of a criminal investigation into Maher’s conduct.
But California law, AB 748 of 2018, requires law enforcement agencies to disclose video recordings of any incident in which an officer’s use of force results in death or great bodily injury, regardless of whether the force was lawful or justified. Broken ribs clearly qualify as great bodily injury.
Representing Shasta Scout, FAC’s legal director, David Loy, wrote to the Redding city attorney demanding disclosure of the footage depicting Maher’s arrest. FAC also sent copies of Maher’s medical records, although he had already provided them to the Redding Police Department.
To its credit, the city then agreed to disclose the video footage without litigation. But it shouldn’t have taken a lawyer’s letter to force disclosure. Public trust in government — and especially in law enforcement — depends on transparency. When police officers cause significant injury, justifiably or otherwise, the people have a right to the full story, not just the official story. With FAC’s help, the full story of Daniel Maher’s arrest is now available to both him and the public.