Dozens of community members took to the streets and spoke at a public hearing Monday to call on city leaders to stand behind Hartford's police oversight board amid an escalating conflict with the police union.
The Civilian Police Review Board, which investigates misconduct and citizen complaints, has seen its work grind to a standstill in numerous cases this year because it can't obtain necessary records from the police department.
The Hartford Police Union has also challenged powers granted to the CPRB, arguing they conflict with a union contract, and that the panel and its inspector general have overstepped their legal authority to investigate officer conduct.
The deadlock spurred Inspector General Joseph Lopez to seek assistance from members of the City Council, who are weighing changes to a city ordinance that would make clear the CPRB is authorized to issue subpoenas and send cases to binding arbitration.
Residents and local advocacy groups voiced their support for the board Monday during a faith walk organized by the North Hartford Public Safety Coalition in response to a recent spike in gun violence in the area.
Participants included members of the Greater Hartford Interfaith Action Alliance, which advocated to strengthen the CPRB after the murder of George Floyd in 2020.
More than two dozen people also urged council members to support the board during a virtual public hearing that lasted nearly two and a half hours.
Corrie Betts, president of the NAACP Greater Hartford branch, said empowering the board isn't "anti-police," but rather supports both officers and the public.
"The strongest institutions are not those that resist independent review," Betts said. "The strongest institutions are those that welcome transparency because they understand that public trust is earned, not demanded."
Hartford Police Union President James Rutkauski was the only speaker who offered an opposing view. Rutkauski criticized proposed changes that would grant the inspector general greater independence and a dedicated budget.
Rutkauski directed his remarks at Lopez, contending Lopez drafted the ordinance changes to secure himself a "permanent, untouchable seat of power with an open checkbook," and asked members of the council to sign off on them without understanding the ramifications.
"We don't know what he will be spending, and we have no true idea of the financial impact that these ordinance changes could have," Rutkauski said.
Lopez, a lawyer who previously directed the Complex Litigation Unit in the Office of the Chief Public Defender, responded that he took a pay cut of about $100,000 annually to accept the inspector general position because he believes the work is impactful.
"I'm not here for the salary," he said. "I'm here to do a good job for the CPRB. They are hardworking individuals, and this is a noble cause."
Lopez told council members previously that while Hartford has Connecticut’s most robust ordinance establishing its civilian oversight board, the panel hasn’t functioned that way to date.
The board investigates allegations such as excessive use of force in parallel with the Hartford Police Department's Internal Affairs Division. It renders independent judgments, which it sends to the police chief.
City leaders significantly strengthened the board in 2020, drawing on new state legislation that authorized subpoena power for civilian review boards. They also empowered the CPRB to send cases to arbitration if the chief rejects a charge the board has sustained.
The union has challenged those processes in court and before the State Board of Labor Relations. It also rescinded a previous agreement that permitted the inspector general to attend officer interviews conducted by Internal Affairs.
Changes under consideration by the council would ensure the inspector general has access to evidence, documents and other materials. They would also require the police chief to wait for the CPRB to render findings before issuing a final decision on alleged misconduct, and clarify that arbitration doesn't conflict with the union's contract. In cases where the arbitrator sustains a charge, the chief could choose the discipline and would not be bound by mandatory punishments specified under the department’s code of conduct.
Among those who spoke in favor of the proposed changes were a former city councilman and former school board chairperson.
Other supporters included Eric Coleman, a retired superior court judge and former state senator who chaired the legislature's judiciary committee; and lawyer Sydney T. Schulman, who participated in securing a consent decree for the Hartford Police Department that was in place for five decades before being lifted in 2023.
Community organizer Cherell Banks, a founding member of the North Hartford Public Safety Coalition, said working closely with youth and other residents has shown her that public safety depends on trust. People are more likely to report concerns and cooperate with law enforcement when they believe there is a fair, transparent process for accountability, Banks said.
"This is not about being against the police," Banks said. "It's about building a system that supports both residents and officers through fairness, transparency and accountability."
