Updated: Legislators Propose Oversight of Law Enforcement
by Christine Stuart | March 15, 2007 6:35 PM
Posted to State Capitol
Two legislative committees have introduced bills that would give the legislature supervision over law enforcement intelligence, including lists like the one Ken Krayeske ended up on before he was arrested for taking photos during Gov. M. Jodi Rell’s inaugural parade.
The public outcry expressed after Krayeske’s arrest in January was enormous. State Rep. Diana Urban, D-North Stonington, said that fact two committee’s have introduced bills is a testimony to “how important we think this issue is.”
State Rep. Timothy O’Brien, D-New Britain, who introduced HB 7390 also says when a law enforcement agency briefs its officers concerning the safety and security of public officials at events, such as the inaugural parade, it needs to include an explanation of constitutional rights citizens have at public events.
Lawlor said a distinction needs to be made between who is considered a physical threat and who may cause a disturbance. He said in Krayeske’s case the distinction was never made. He said those who attended the parade briefing said Krayeske was described as the biggest threat to the governor that day when he was never a physical threat to begin with.
Krayeske was arrested by the Hartford Police Department while he was photographing the governor along the parade route. Click here for the first report and the 41 comments from readers that followed.
Is there any opposition to these bills?
Lawlor said there’s a lot in these proposals to consider and “I do think law enforcement will have a lot of questions and suggestions.”
As far as the Hartford Police are concerned Lawlor was upset they still had not complied with the Office of Legislative Research’s request for information regarding the bond amount set on misdemeanor arrests in December and January. Lawlor said the Hartford Police Chief Daryl Roberts has shown “complete disregard for the authority of the General Assembly.”
Hartford Police Spokeswoman Nancy Mulroy said the police can’t provide the information because they don’t have the information. She said the arrest report is purged from the database every morning at 10 a.m. when the accused are taken to be arraigned in court. She said if we kept the information we would be violating their rights. She said she suggested OLR try to get the information from the Bail Commission.
Lawlor said Friday that the Hartford Police Department better have the information the legislature requested. “They’re not allowed to destroy it,” he said. He said the public may not have access to the records but the information needs to be retained by police. Lawlor said he took offense to the dismissive nature of Roberts response.
In his Jan. 31 response Roberts wrote that bond amounts are set on a case-by-case basis. “To reinforce this point a review was conducted of bonds set for similar arrests over the past several months and the bond amounts vary depending upon the circumstance of the case,” he wrote.
Roberts went on to say Krayeske’s “bond amount was set higher than normal at the direction of a Hartford Police Department Commander due to the circumstances.” He went on to write that “Mr. Krayeske’s behavior during the incident and subsequent uncooperative behavior in discussing his intentions further reinforced the necessity for a higher than normal bond.”
State Rep. Christopher Caruso said it seemed to him that Roberts didn’t even read his own arresting officer’s reports before making his remarks to the legislature’s Public Safety Committee last month. Lawlor said Krayeske did not commit any crime according to the arresting officers own report.
The state has yet to drop the charges against Krayeske, whose next court date is March 21.
And if you thought Krayeske was the lone photographer to be threatened by law enforcement, click here to read the latest from the New Haven Advocate photographer threatened with arrest for taking photos at a St. Patty’s Day event.
Comments (7)
Posted by: Steven G. Erickson | March 15, 2007 7:08 PM
Connecticut Police have had a policy for those that lodge police misconduct complaints, it is called "Arrest and Discredit".
Everyone that I know that has lodged complaints against Connecticut police is arrested after.
What kind of system is that.
Priests can't police priests. Investment bankers should not oversee themselves.
What about all the arrests that end up in prison sentences. The courts aren't fair either so being falsely arrested means being falsely imprisoned.
When are legislators going to address the problem of women raped by police and others falsely arrested? Having a criminal record means a very hard time finding any job or place to live.
Since 9-11 background checks are done on everyone. If you want a room by the week, there is a background check done on you.
Mostly minorities and poorer whites are arrested to make quotas. Connecticut is losing its industrial base and population. Official Connecticut has to victimize more citizens by arresting them, taking away kids, and throwing them in jail to make up for collected revenue deficits. The problem is that Connecticut is defrauding all taxpayers.
The Quality of life factor means being able to raise your kids in peace and go to work. Official Connecticut just can't leave citizens alone, especially minority and poorer white citizens.
Citizens with Big Mouths get the express route to prison. When let out, the parole and probation officers can tell you that you are kicked out of Connecticut.
I was.
Posted by: Steven G. Erickson | March 15, 2007 7:21 PM
The link to bill HB 7390. Will you tell us when there will be a public forum on the bill?
Posted by: Dave | March 15, 2007 9:49 PM
Steven, the public hearing on HB 7390 is tomorrow at 1:00 in room 2D of the Legislative Office Building.
Posted by: GreatGooglyMoogly | March 16, 2007 1:09 PM
OUTRAGEOUS! The story by the photographer from the New Haven Advocate is absolutely ridiculous. If that story is true (see link in last paragraph of Christine's story above), then NHPD badge #488 ought to be demoted. He probably ought to be fired. His conduct was cowardly, unprofessional, and unconstitutional. What the heck is going on here? Police officers seem to think they are above the law now, and that has to END. If police are going to act lawlessly, then the rest of us will too. It's like reporters here are on the job in another country or something, where there are no civil rights.
The police can whine all they want about crowd control and their safety on the job, but they're the ones with the guns and the power to use them with discretion. When stuff like this happens, does ANYONE think police should be allowed the discretion to use a firearm? Not me.
With respect to Krayeske's arrest and now this Advocate photographer's account, these officers obviously are pathetically and embarrassingly undertrained, or they are operating with a complete disregard for 1st amendment rights. It has to stop, and it has to stop now. The cops need to face serious penalities for their mistakes - plain and simple.
Posted by: GreatGooglyMoogly | March 16, 2007 1:46 PM
If the HPD is destroying the records of its arrest activities, then the whole department ought to be audited by the feds. Actually, it'd probably a good idea to just have the feds manage the HPD and the NHPD from now on.
Posted by: Steven G. Erickson | March 17, 2007 11:17 AM
The problem has been identified, but what about the victims of judicial, prosecutorial, and police misconduct?
Having a bogus criminal record is a life sentence.
Imagine difficulty in getting any job or housing, for life? Everyone even potential dates do background checks.
Imagine a child being separated for a parent for life, due to a bogus arrest that led to false imprisonment.
The whole Chief Justice Sullivan debacle tells us the courts in Connecticut are corrupt from the top down so there is no getting justice there.
Will legislators look at individual cases so victims that suffer everyday finally get at least a little relief?
Should their children get relief?
If Connecticut does not address these quality of life issues Connecticut will continue to see a drastic reduction in population.
Posted by: Steven G. Erickson | March 17, 2007 11:26 AM
Ritt Goldstein proposed Civilian Oversight of Police to the Judiciary Committee in 1996. I posted the entire video on YouTube. It show just how bad the system is and the legislators have known.
Ritt was so terrorized by police he then fled to Sweden to seek political asylum.
I proposed Civilian Oversight of police and police followed me around and told me to shut up and leave the State "Or else"
For proposing legislation and saying things in newspapers police didn't like I was falsely arrested and sent to prison on Connecticut State Trooper perjury and a rigged Rockville Connecticut trial.
In Ritt's video a woman talks about how police helped him brutalize her and then she was arrested facing serious charges. So many women have been raped by police officers and most cases aren't investigated nevermind punished!