NORWALK, Conn. — The Norwalk Police Department announced on Friday that two probationary officers have resigned from the department.
The two people were sworn in as probationary officers on June 3 after a thorough background check including any criminal history and a review of social media say police.
Police said during the investigation, it was found that one of the former probationary officers was cleared of a police shooting in which he was a witness. Police added, "no obvious red flags were raised."
Police said the investigation regarding the shooting should have been "better vetted," and said the police commission did not have all the information when evaluating the candidates.
"In retrospect, it is clear that the information regarding the shooting incident should have been better vetted – the incident in question was a sensitive issue, and the result of it should have been highlighted in the background report to the Commission, despite the fact that (the former probationary) was forthcoming and cleared.," said Norwalk Police in a written statement. "The Commission did not have all pertinent information available to them when evaluating the candidates."
The other investigation of the former probationary officer did not show a pending lawsuit.
A review has begun by police of the hiring process to find the specific failures in this incident, to prevent it from happening again. Police say Norwalk Mayor Harry Rilling ordered the results of the review to be given to the Commission at the next scheduled meeting.
"The Department of Norwalk Police Service continues to remain diligent in addressing any faults, to remain transparent about our practices, and to invite feedback and critique," said police in a written statement. "We are grateful for our relationship with our community and will continue to hone our practices and directives, and use all hurdles as stepping stones as we strive to provide excellent police service.
---
HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET FOX61 NEWS
Download the FOX61 News APP
iTunes: Click here to download
Google Play: Click here to download
Stream Live on ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching FOX61.
