WEST HARTFORD, Conn. — A Hartford detective was suspended Thursday following an interaction with two Black Conard High School students in 2019, according to a statement from Hartford Police Chief Jason Thody released Thursday.
Chief Thody finalized the disciplinary action Thursday, following an investigation. The officer was suspended 10 days, which is the maximum amount based on the code of conduct violations found.
"While this case does not involve any use of force, the citizen complaint alleges racial discrimination, and while that charge was not substantiated, there are elements of this case that are very concerning to me," said Thody.
According to a statement from the Hartford Police Department, the incident began on August 26, 2019 around 9 p.m. The two students were knocking on doors in West Hartford in an effort to fundraise for their football team. At one point, the students knocked on the home of two married Hartford Police Department detectives.
One of the detectives was home, upstairs at the time, and was surprised at the knock at the door. The woman, who was off duty at the time, called her husband who was on duty in Hartford and apparently near the house.
Police say there are slightly different accounts of what was specifically said on the phone between the two detectives. The detective at home was said to be nervous enough for her husband and two other officers, who were in his car, to come home.
One of the students who was fundraising told police that a child came to the door of the detectives' house, but did not answer it. As the detective and the other officers drove down the street, they saw the students. According to the students, the husband got out of the car asked them what they were doing, why they were there, and that they scared his wife and child. The boys said the detective did not use derogatory language, didn't threaten arrest, or ask for ID.
All three people have different accounts for how long the interaction lasted, with one student saying it lasted five to 10 minutes, the other saying two to three, and the officer saying 45 seconds. The students said the detective changed his tone when he found out they were football players and wished them good luck on the season.
Thody became aware of the interaction two days later when he was referred by West Hartford officials to one of the students' mothers. The chief used the mother's written account to begin a citizen complaint.
"Regardless of the context of the original call from wife to husband, this was a totally unnecessary interaction between law enforcement and residents, and I completely understand why she feels the officers’ response was racially motivated," said Thody in a written statement.
Chief Thody called the mother again and apologized for the trauma her son and her son's friend experienced that night.
Police investigated six charges involving the officers and it was found two of the allegations were sustained: neglect of duty and violation of the code of conduct. The other charges were harassment, discourteous attitude, conduct unbecoming of an officer, and civil rights violation.
The husband accepted his suspension and one of the officers in the car was suspended for two days.
