US: Ex-employee shuts down police website over pay dispute

Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller said the former employee, who was the police department information technology director, took down the department website in late June and July. The website instead directed visitors to a message that called on them to contact Fuller and ask the mayor to restore it, The Boston Globe reported on Friday.

Fuller said the employee controls access to the site and has not turned it over to the city. Newton has created a new police department website in its place. The old website was no longer active on Sunday.

Fuller told the Globe the employee shut down "a vital resource for the city of Newton”. The employee notified city officials in March that he was leaving the job, the Globe reported. The paper reported the employee felt he was owed $137,000 in compensatory time at the time he shut down the website, the paper reported.