# CT: State Police Internal Affairs report elicits calls for change



## kwflatbed (Dec 29, 2004)

(WTNH, Dec. 4, 2006 6:25 PM) _ A scandal within the Connecticut State Police is resulting in a complete re-vamping of the department's Internal Affairs Division.
That's the section that investigates alleged wrongdoing by the police themselves. 

_by Chief Capitol Correspondent Mark Davis_
A little over a year ago the Commissioner of Public Safety and the Commander of the Connecticut State Police called in the New York State police to conduct an investigation because, as this report details, the police who are supposed to police the police were not doing a very good job.
The report concludes that the Internal Affairs Unit didn't follow up on investigations of cops because of the intervention of superiors telling them not to and as a result some cops who should have been disciplined got off, a practice known as "kicking a case."
For the commander of the force, who had just announced his retirement on Friday, today was a very tough day.
"I love not only the agency but I love the troopers that work there and to hear that anyone has done anything wrong is always disheartening and always gives you, saddens you, if you will," says Col. Edward Lynch.
Some of the allegedly "kicked" cases involve bribery, drug use, associating with drug dealers and prostitutes, sexual assault, falsified overtime, and improper DWI arrests.
"There are a number, I'm not going to specify what number, that will be, potentially, involved in criminal investigation," says Attorney General Richard Blumenthal.
The report highlights 19 cases, the majority of the complaints were cops blowing the whistle on other cops by way of the state police union but the trail may tough for prosecutors to follow.
Blumenthal says, "The level of evidence, the quality of evidence was so poor that very often conclusions are all the more difficult."
The entire internal affairs section has already been replaced with higher ranking supervisors, one of the recommendations of the report.
"I'm responsible for everything that happens in the department and I'm responsible for trying to fix it," says Cmsr. Leonard Boyle, Connecticut Department of Public Safety.
Governor Rell issued a statement saying "We now know that lax and less-than-professional procedures have tainted Internal Affairs investigations. Commissioner Boyle will swiftly implement real, cultural change within the Connecticut State Police."
The report concludes that the Connecticut State Police Internal Affairs Unit did not purposefully issue false reports or corrupt the investigative process, they just didn't look into stuff because of what the report calls "improper intervention" by superiors.

For more information and a link to the report: 
http://www.ct.gov/ag/cwp/view.asp?Q=328868&A=2426

Video: 
http://www.wtnh.com/global/video/po...story.asp?S=5766243&nav=menu29_1&rnd=18406069


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