UNITED STATES NEWS

Judge ends Hartford police consent decree despite concerns

Apr 17, 2023, 11:00 AM | Updated: 4:02 pm

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — A judge has ended the nearly 50 years of federal oversight of police in Hartford, Connecticut, despite continued concerns the department still has not hired enough minority officers to reflect the city’s large Black and Hispanic populations.

U.S. District Judge Kari Dooley in Bridgeport issued a 10-page ruling late Friday saying the plaintiffs failed to prove the police department was violating any part of the original 1973 consent decree agreement or revisions made to it in 2010. Dooley approved the city’s request to dissolve the consent decree, which was to have ended four years after the 2010 revisions but was later extended.

The consent decree was one of the longest in the country and resulted from a 1969 civil rights lawsuit against city police by several Hartford residents. The lawsuit accused police of inflicting numerous acts of violence, intimidation and humiliation upon Hartford citizens based on their race and ethnicity.

Sydney Schulman, a Hartford lawyer for the plaintiffs who has been involved in the case since 1969, said Monday that he was reviewing the ruling and would be contacting his clients about a possible appeal or other actions.

“I was totally shocked by getting the opinion,” Schulman said. “I’m extremely concerned. … It’s always been the position of the … plaintiffs that the city of Hartford should have a police force that reflects the population of the city of Hartford, which is mostly minority.”

“We need officers in Hartford who understand the culture and the community of color,” he said. “We need officers who understand the city, who are living in the city or have lived in the city. We need officers who are out on the street and can work with community residents in order to avoid the violence that we’ve seen.”

Mayor Luke Bronin, a Democrat, said the city’s commitment to improving diversity at the police department will not end because the consent decree has been dissolved. He also said in a statement that building trust and partnerships between the police department and city residents remains a priority.

“It’s important to recognize that the (consent decree) wasn’t just about recruitment, it was also about promoting transparency and accountability, increasing civilian oversight, and embracing best practices in policing,” he said. “And while that work is never done, the Hartford Police Department has been a leader in those areas here in Connecticut.”

A city police spokesperson did not return an email message seeking comment Monday.

Just last month, the city council passed a resolution calling for an indefinite extension of the consent decree until the police department fully complies with it.

In court papers filed in October, the plaintiffs said there has been little change in the racial and ethnic makeup of the department since the late 1960s. They said only about 35% of the 400-plus member force is non-white. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, about 36% of city residents are Black and 46% are Hispanic or Latino.

Corrie Betts, president of the Greater Hartford NAACP, called the judge’s ruling troubling and disappointing. He said he would be talking to national NAACP officials about a response, including possible legal action.

“Given the troubling circumstances surrounding the Hartford police department, the decision really makes no sense at all,” Betts said.

Besides not hiring enough people of color, the plaintiffs also claim the department has not been complying with the consent decree because it has failed to conduct immediate investigations into some instances of officers discharging their firearms. They also said the force is not always taking sworn statements from citizens when seeking arrest warrants as required.

The judge, however, rejected all their arguments and noted police officials have provided evidence of their efforts to increase the recruitment and promotion of minority officers.

Schulman said that while the department has increased recruiting of minorities, many of them have had trouble passing police academy tests. Betts said the department hasn’t done enough to change those tests so more Black and Hispanic officer candidates get hired.

In court papers, police officials say there have been numerous reforms at the department, and the consent decree and federal oversight were no longer warranted.

“The conditions present in 1969 that led to the federal jurisdiction are no longer present,” city lawyers wrote. “Simply put, over 50 years of litigation has exhausted any basis for continuing jurisdiction over this matter.”

United States News

Associated Press

Meta makes end-to-end encryption a default on Facebook Messenger

NEW YORK (AP) — Meta is rolling out end-to-end encryption for calls and messages across its Facebook and Messenger platforms, the company announced Thursday. Such encryption means that no one other than the sender and the recipient — not even Meta — can decipher people’s messages. Encrypted chats, first introduced as an optional feature in […]

29 minutes ago

Associated Press

U.S. sanctions money lending network to Houthi rebels in Yemen, tied to Iranian oil sales

WASHINGTON (AP) — Responding to increased attacks on ships in the southern Red Sea by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, the U.S. announced sanctions against 13 people and firms alleged to be providing tens of millions of dollars from the sale and shipment of Iranian commodities to the Houthis in Yemen. Treasury says that previously sanctioned Houthi […]

31 minutes ago

Associated Press

Last sentencings are on docket in 2020 plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer

BELLAIRE, Mich. (AP) — A judge will hand down the final sentences Thursday in a plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, capping a remarkable investigation that broke into public view on the eve of the 2020 presidential election but produced mixed results in court. Shawn Fix and Brian Higgins pleaded guilty earlier this year […]

1 hour ago

FILE - President Joe Biden speaks during an event on prescription drug costs, in the East Room of t...

Associated Press

The White House is threatening the patents of high-priced drugs developed with taxpayer dollars

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is putting pharmaceutical companies on notice, warning them that if the price of certain drugs is too high, the government might cancel their patent protection and allow rivals to make their own versions. Under a plan announced Thursday, the government would consider overriding the patent for high-priced drugs that […]

2 hours ago

FILE - In this photo combination, U.S. Rep. Shelia Jackson Lee, D-Texas, left, speaks during a meet...

Associated Press

AP Election Brief | What to expect in Houston’s mayoral runoff election

WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s down to two candidates in the race to lead the nation’s fourth-largest city. U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee and state Sen. John Whitmire will face off in Saturday’s runoff election to be the next mayor of Houston. Whitmire and Jackson Lee, both Democrats, were the top two vote-getters in the Nov. […]

5 hours ago

Follow @ktar923...

Sponsored Content by Collins Comfort

Avoid a potential emergency and get your home’s heating and furnace safety checked

With the weather getting colder throughout the Valley, the best time to make sure your heating is all up to date is now. 

Sponsored Articles

(KTAR News Graphic)...

KTAR launches online holiday auction benefitting Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley

KTAR is teaming up with The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley for a holiday auction benefitting thousands of Valley kids.

Follow @KTAR923...

The best ways to honor our heroes on Veterans Day and give back to the community

Veterans Day is fast approaching and there's no better way to support our veterans than to donate to the Military Assistance Mission.

...

Dierdre Woodruff

Interest rates may have peaked. Should you buy a CD, high-yield savings account, or a fixed annuity?

Interest rates are the highest they’ve been in decades, and it looks like the Fed has paused hikes. This may be the best time to lock in rates for long-term, low-risk financial products like fixed annuities.

Judge ends Hartford police consent decree despite concerns