City of Newburgh officials are breaking their silence about allegations of withholding public information to cover up crime. 

Mayor Torrance Harvey spoke about it during a City Council meeting Monday night. 

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He said newly enforced policies are restricting the flow of communication between council members, police and the public. Harvey was referring to a directive that all information must first be approved by the city manager before it’s released. 

Council Member Anthony Grice agreed that communication can be improved but said the media is skewing the information being reported. 

“We do a lot more positive things than negative," said Grice. "Some reporters especially want to write bad things about the City of Newburgh. So let me be clear, we are not hiding data from anyone. We are not hiding information. We get the information out as we get it. As our commissioner mentioned, if it’s under investigation, you wait for a press release. We don’t shy away from the problems we have.” 

Newburgh has seen a spike in crime and gun violence since last year.  

News 12's repeated requests for information about reports of crimes have largely been ignored or denied since April.