Cleveland Heights Refuses to Release Police Bodycam Footage of Incident With Mayor's Wife at City Hall

McDaniel seen during the incident in December on CCTV Credit: Cleveland Heights

The City of Cleveland Heights this week refused to release police bodycam footage of an incident last December at City Hall involving Mayor Kahlil Seren’s wife, Natalie McDaniel, in response to a public records request from Scene.

Despite the ongoing controversy involving McDaniel’s unofficial presence and role at City Hall, and the fact that the police officer who recorded the video was on duty at the time, and the fact that the city had previously released surveillance video (without sound) of the same incident, the law department yesterday wrote that it would not release the bodycam video because it feels it is not a public record.

“While the officer had his body camera operating and recording on December 6, 2024, the audio and video captured thereon depict only material which is personal in nature to another member of City staff and which does not relate in any way to the structure, duties, general management principles, agency determinations, specific methods, processes, other acts, etc. of the public office, and therefore is not a public record,” the email to Scene read.

The December incident involved McDaniel allegedly yelling obscenities at city employees and precipitated the resignations of both City Administrator Dan Horrigan and another top official.

According to an incident report reviewed by Scene, McDaniel also yelled at a Cleveland Heights police officer who was on duty at City Hall in one of those incidents.

“I could hear her screaming at Patrick [Costigan],” an officer’s report reads. “I could hear her cursing loudly, saying ‘fuck’ and ‘bitch’ multiple times. This was occurring during City Hall business hours whereas employees and citizens were openly walking around.”

It was not the last time police were called to deal with Seren and McDaniel.

On April 23, Cleveland Heights police were called again when Cuyahoga County Judge David Matia drove by Seren and McDaniel’s house and lobbed a complaint that they should maintain their home better, telling McDaniel they should paint.

McDaniel yelled back.

Seren then drove over to Matia’s house. “I made it clear that he’s not welcome on my property,” Matia told the responding officer. “Just go paint your house, buddy, and leave me alone.”

Matia refused to file a police report but noted his thoughts on Seren’s administration. “From what I’ve been seeing, there’s not a lot of stability over there” at City Hall, he said.

This week, calls for Seren’s resignation have grown after reports that McDaniel made a series of antisemitic remarks including calling a public commenter a “Jewish bitch” and calling a planning director a “pawn” of the Orthodox Jewish community.

Seren, in a video posted to his Facebook account on Wednesday, denied she made the remarks, calling the allegations and evidence to the contrary “false” and “altered,” and noted the two have Jewish friends and family.

Cleveland Heights City Council will meet on Friday to discuss the mayor’s “whereabouts” and “ability to perform the duties of Mayor.”