Governor's Thoughts On Police Reform

Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont has signed a comprehensive police accountability bill into law that seeks to address the issue of police brutality and systemic racism. This bill comes in the wake of the George Floyd incident and other cases involving police brutality against Black people, which have led to nationwide protests and calls for police reform.

On February 17, 2023, members of the new Oversight Committe submitted this request to Mayor Passaro by email for Chief Wright to resign. The request comes on the heels of the same abuses the Governor is intending to address with the bill's passage.

Some of The Key Features of The Legislation:

Creation of a New Inspector General & Limitation of Circumstance for Deadly Force

1. The bill creates a new inspector general to investigate police use-of-force cases, which would provide a mechanism for independent oversight of police actions with the claim to limit the circumstances for the use of deadly force. 
2. The bill limits the circumstances in which deadly force can be justified, which would help prevent the unjustified use of force and reduce the number of deaths caused by police doing as they're taught by our justice system's plummet into Qualified Immunity culture that overthrew the founders' promises of freedom in the form of Constitutional civil rights. It's a roundabout way of saying that police reform has little chance of beginning in any state, until law and order is restored federally by quickly reversing the Supreme Court's Qualified Immunity Doctorine. As a doctrine, it is the spitting outline or foundation for the police state we see emerging.

Civilian Oversight of Police Departments

• The legislation claims to allow ‘more’ civilian oversight of police departments, which would in theory give members of the public some type of voice in how police are managed and held accountable, that is substantively “more” voice than they’ve had in the past. 
• It’s unclear if any official would support the claim that Connecticut residents have ever had a “voice” of any kind in policing practices. It is unclear if there is an example of an oversight committee outside of New London that has been publically initiated or if the group that has formed in New London will get any response to its repeated attempts to contact public servants or interact with them. 
• As it stands, officials have not returned a single letter or email from the Oversight Committee to acknowledge its existence or the subject matter of each respective message. City council members addressed formally with brief, specific mailing two weeks ago are still dead silent. 
• Committee members have reached out to local officials three times by email since the Public Oversight Committee began. There’s been awkward silence so far while visitor IP log records from our server combined with GA user metrics show between three or more city officials spending between 30-50 minutes on this, the 3rd iteration of a New London Police reform website in the last seven years.

Allowing Civil Lawsuits Against Officers

Individuals who have had their constitutional rights violated by the police can now file civil lawsuits against officers who acted with malicious, wanton, or willful intent. This is a significant change that could lead to greater accountability for police officers. While the bill has been hailed by advocates for police reform, it has also faced opposition from police officers and their representatives. Some have argued that the bill will make it harder to recruit new police officers and encourage veteran officers to retire early.

Chasing the Dragon of Holding Cops Accountable for Behavior

However, supporters of the legislation argue that the bill will help to rebuild trust between police and the community and ensure that police officers are held accountable for their actions. It is important to note that there are many good officers in Connecticut, and while the legislation may be yet another attempt to chase the dragon as far holding police accountable, it is not a reflection on their work.

Addressing Police Brutality w/ Gestures

Finally, this bill is at least a gesture made about a conversation to be had on taking a figurative step in the right direction. It’s a gesture regarding a conversation about taking steps in a direction, the right direction, meaning gestures about talks to have on steps to address things such as police brutality and systemic racism in Connecticut.

Opposition from Law Enforcement

While Lamont's bill faces opposition from the law enforcement community, it is a necessary step to ensure that the police are held accountable for their actions and that the public has a voice in how police departments are managed. For example, in some cases, politicians may pass legislation that is symbolic in nature, such as renaming a street or building after a prominent figure or group. While this may be a positive gesture, it does little to address the underlying issues that are affecting the public. In other cases, politicians may pass legislation that creates a new program or agency, but fails to provide sufficient funding or resources to ensure its success. This often results in a program or agency that is ineffective or unable to address the needs of the public. Unfortunately, the situation in Connecticut with regards to police accountability is a case in point. While the new legislation has been passed to address police brutality and systemic racism, the reality on the ground is that the unwritten court practices, meaning the practices of Bar member involve turning a blind eye and enabling police to engage in misconduct.

GA10 Judge: "I don't want to see evidence"

Confronted with notarized proof in writing that for Police Captain Brian Wright fabricated a police document, an uncomfortable female judge of Brazilian heritage replied, "I don't want to see evidence..." while being recorded by a resident's cell phone in a crowed of flustered defendants and family members. She's on YouTube saying those words, whenever you might want to hear them. Once is enough for most. She (the judge) was shipped out to play Judge at a different court in CT and was not seen at GA10 Part B Court since the YouTube debut.

Results of Adding Police Abuse w/ Policy of Ignoring FOIA Law

As a result, even with the passage of the new legislation, there is still a need for continued oversight and accountability to ensure that police officers are held to account for their actions. It is important to note that the creation of a new inspector's office for police abuse is a positive step.

However, it remains to be seen how effective this office will be in practice. In fact, in my attempt to obtain records of police abuse cases under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), I have been disappointed with the response from the newly created Inspector's office. This raises concerns about the office's ability to be transparent and accountable to the public.

CT Officials' Empirically-Based Belief FOIA Law Does Not Apply

It is important to remember that the public has the right to know about the actions of its elected officials and public servants. If officials fail to follow FOIA laws and disclose public records, there is an official in CT who can be contacted. However, as I will discuss in another article, this official's abject uselessness leaves much to be desired. Passing legislation that only serves to make the public feel good without bringing about substantive change is not enough.

Will We See A Single Change from This Bill?

There must be the introduction of public oversight in Connecticut policing. And the very last thing our court and justice system officials want is any increase in accountability or public inquiry for records to confirm that the legislation is being implemented at all or that any police officer has been held accountable for their actions as the result of this bill. So far there is no evidence of any change or public “voice” to show past City of New London’s predictable reaction to an actual public body forming and attempting to use its voice: Officials give Committee Members the silent treatment, as if we were not here in the city, funding every aspect of their daily activities.

Join the Oversight Committee

Click here to join the Oversight Committee while we still have open seats or click here to watch our recruiting video encouraging other residents to come take part and use their voices.