by Neil W. McCabe

Freedom of Information Act requests by The Farm Team Paper and The Boston Globe for any criminal complaints, complaint applications and police reports associated with Ward 3 Alderman Thomas F. Taylor were turned down by the city’s police’s information officer.

The denials were based on an investigatory exemption in the state’s freedom of information law, said Lt. Paul Trant, who handles FOIA requests for the city’s police department. The police department will not comment on the situation, referring all requests for information to the Middlesex County District Attorney’s office.

The Aug. 30 request from The Globe was made by Benjamin Gedan, a reporter who has covered Somerville for that paper. The Sept. 27 request from The Farm Team Paper was made by Brock Parker, the paper’s assistant editor, he said.

Parker also requested that information regarding the Sept. 23 visit by Somerville police officers to the Taylor family home at 32 Vinal Ave., Trant said. That request was also denied.

Aug. 25 The Somerville News reported:

Ward 3 Alderman Thomas F. Taylor is involved in a criminal matter under review by the Middlesex County District Attorney.

There have been no formal charges or complaints against Taylor, said Melissa T. Sherman, a spokeswoman for Martha Coakley, the district attorney.

“I know nothing about it,” said Taylor at 3:30 p.m. today. “Nobody has talked to me or told me anything.”

Sherman said the decision to make formal charges involving Taylor would be made either by the district attorney’s office or the state police. By working with the state police, rather than the Somerville police, the district attorney will avoid a conflict of interest that could arrive because Taylor is an elected official in the city.