TOLLAND, Conn. — According to law enforcement personnel, a University of Connecticut police officer who was arrested Tuesday, had stalked, harassed and took photos of two UConn employees and followed them in his car.
Peter J. Zavickas, 54, a 17-year veteran of the University of Connecticut Police Department, was arrested Tuesday on a warrant charging him with two counts of Electronic Stalking, two counts of Stalking in the Second Degree, two counts of Computer Crime in the Third Degree, two counts of Computer Crime in the Fifth Degree and Harassment in the Second Degree.
Zavickas was released on $25,000 non-surety bond and is scheduled to appear in Tolland Superior Court on November 12.
UConn officials said the employee has been placed on leave pending the outcome of a review.
Officials said an investigation showed that for about a year, Zavickas stalked, harassed and photographed two University of Connecticut Division of Public Safety employees by monitoring their movements and activities using the university’s statewide camera system and while following them in his personal vehicle.
"The investigation showed that between September 30, 2019 and October 21, 2020, Zavickas, who is assigned to the University of Connecticut’s Avery Point campus, monitored live video and searched archived video of two University of Connecticut Public Safety parking lots on the Storrs campus. A law enforcement incident reporting system showed Zavickas had no legitimate business purpose to utilize the camera system to view footage on the Storrs campus, according to the affidavit. Additionally, Zavickas is alleged to have driven to the Storrs campus and followed the victims while trying to avoid detection," said officials in a release.
Authorities said that in May of this year, Zavickas used the Connecticut On-Line Law Enforcement Communications Teleprocessing (COLLECT) System without justification. "COLLECT is utilized throughout Connecticut to access online State and Federal law enforcement resources. The use of the COLLECT database for personal reasons is strictly prohibited and constitutes a violation, abuse and unauthorized use of the system, according to the affidavit," said the release.
“The victims in this case were greatly affected by Mr. Zavickas’ actions,” State’s Attorney Matthew C. Gedansky said. “The Division of Criminal Justice is committed to applying the law fairly and equally. No one is above the law, including those who are given the responsibility to serve and protect the public.”
