Hartford's independent police oversight board received a unanimous show of support this week from city leaders, who voted to strengthen its authority to investigate allegations of police misconduct.
Members of the Hartford City Council on Monday revised an ordinance establishing the city's Civilian Police Review Board, a move aimed at eliminating legal challenges raised by the police department and police union that have increasingly frustrated the board's work.
The changes make clear the board and its inspector general can compel police to release internal documents and testify in misconduct investigations. They also reinforce the board's ability to take cases to arbitration when the police chief disagrees with its findings.
The Hartford Police Union and the police department have challenged the board's work, bringing investigations to a standstill. The impasse prompted board members and Inspector General Joseph Lopez to seek help from the council. Dozens of residents also called for action during a public demonstration and a pair of hearings.
"These hurdles have underscored an important principle: civilian oversight is only effective when a Civilian Police Review Board has both the legal authority to investigate and the practical ability to exercise that authority," the CPRB said in a written statement. "The amendments approved by the City Council strengthen the framework necessary for CPRB to carry out our legal mandate to our fellow residents."
A spokesperson for Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam said he would sign the measure this week.
"We are proud to have the most robust civilian oversight system in the state, and will continue to work collaboratively with our police department and the independent inspector general to ensure we are building and maintaining trust between our residents and law enforcement," Arulampalam said in a statement.
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. Commissioners initiated that process for the first time last year.
The union has filed a complaint over the arbitration process with the State Board of Labor Relations. Union President James Rutkauski said officers don't object to oversight, but believe the city failed to negotiate with the union over proposed changes. The union argues the arbitration process relates to discipline, which is a mandatory subject of collective bargaining.
"I'm disappointed in the lack of communication from City Council in a topic that they know is a mandated subject of bargaining that is going to cost the city more money to litigate," Rutkauski said.
The union also rescinded a previous agreement that permitted the inspector general to attend officer interviews conducted by Internal Affairs.
Both the city and the police union went to court to block the CPRB from obtaining certain police records. Lopez argued the department had tried to improperly curb his authority, granting him no greater access to the material than any other member of the public.
The ordinance previously specified the inspector general must get access to the same files as Internal Affairs, "as allowed by existing statutes or requirements of law."
Under the new changes, Internal Affairs must promptly provide all materials in its file, unless a record or document is specifically prohibited from disclosure by state or federal confidentiality laws, in which case the chief can't close a citizen complaint until the documents are released.
"This shows how much that the council can work together on important issues that matter to the community, and listening to the subject matter experts … to get this work done on behalf of the people," Council President TJ Clarke said.
Editor's note: Arunan Arulampalam's father-in-law is Gregory B. Butler, who is a member of the Board of Trustees of Connecticut Public.
