There’s a significant gap between the ethnic and racial makeup of Connecticut’s larger cities and the police forces serving them.
Hartford Police Department
Posted inJustice
National unrest sharpens CT’s focus on police-community trust
Despite enacting some of the country’s most progressive police reforms, Connecticut still faces the same questions other states do about whether police are doing enough to enforce the law effectively without infringing on the civil rights of minorities, and if they are doing enough to build trust with their communities.
Posted inJustice
Hartford police begin New Year with old civil rights problem
It was the late 1960s and many American cities were ablaze with racial tensions involving police that often resulted in rioting and violence. Hartford was no exception. The result was a lawsuit and a legal agreement for the city to make a number of changes, including hiring more minority police officers. But after more than 40 years, the police force is still bound by the agreement and struggling to more closely mirror its community.
Posted inNews
Hartford mayor, police chief, help Obama sell policing initiative
WASHINGTON – Mayor Pedro Segarra and Hartford Police Chief James Rovella were among dozens of officials invited to the White House Thursday to help President Obama promote a policing initiative aimed at preventing the types of police shootings that touched off riots in Ferguson, Mo., and Baltimore.
Posted inNews
Police violence cases spurring CT proposals for body cameras
WASHINGTON — A rash of cases involving police violence against young black men — most recently including the death of a Baltimore man in police custody — has bolstered the case for body-worn police video cameras both in Connecticut and Washington. Several Connecticut departments are exploring the idea, and the U.S. Senate will hold a hearing on the issue this week.
Posted inPolitics
Grenade launchers and other war-fighting equipment militarizes CT police
WASHINGTON – Images of Ferguson police dressed in riot gear, riding in massive armored vehicles and using high-power rifles like those used by the U.S .military has touched off a debate on the wisdom of militarizing police forces across the nation, including those in Connecticut, by giving them cast off Pentagon equipment.