CONNECTICUT, USA — FOX61 is continuing to cover developing details of a scandal that has rocked the state’s largest body of public safety to its core. The Connecticut State Police and its leaders are continuing to feel the fallout for allegedly falsifying traffic stop records.
State Police Commissioner James Rovella just received a historic vote of no confidence from his own Captains and Lieutenants. It matches a no-confidence vote taken in 2020 by a separate union representing the rank and file.
“Lets not just focus on the negative,” remarked Commissioner Rovella during a hearing in front of state legislators.
Rovella is under the microscope.
“I have no tolerance for those who abuse the system,” he said. But in a statement, the union representing commissioned officers wrote, “Since he has taken charge, the agency has never been embroiled in so much controversy.
The latest controversy is a traffic ticket scandal where data was falsified to skew racial statistics. The American Civil Liberties Union chimed in calling for, “swift, transparent, meaningful accountability.”
"We have to be careful to not create an environment where we are pitting public safety against the residents of the state of Connecticut,” cautioned State Rep. Joe Polletta, a Republican who sits on the legislature’s Public Safety Committee.
Evidence suggests that as many as 58,500 records may have been falsified over the last decade. “The acts of a few are not by all,” claims Rovella.
But according to the Racial Profiling Prohibition Project, which uncovered the fraud,
as many as 300 troopers may have been involved. It potentially thrusts the agency, which is already plagued by recruitment challenges, into a further staffing crisis.
“I would rather have less troopers on the road than have more troopers on the road who have documented proof of falsifying information,” said State Rep. Steve Stafstrom, a Democrat and Chair of the Judiciary Committee.
The allegations are so serious that five separate investigations have been launched and pressure is mounting for Rovella to step aside. “I take this very seriously and that is by far an understatement. I’m angry to say the least and disappointed,” said Rovella.
Also looming large when it comes to this scandal is a state law that prohibits an agency from engaging in traffic stops motivated by race. Violating it could result in the decertification of that agency.
Lawmakers FOX61 spoke with didn’t want to weigh in on if Rovella should resign, saying it’s a decision between him and the Governor.
Matt Caron is a reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at mcaron@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Jennifer Glatz is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. She can be reached at jglatz@fox61.com.
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