Connecticut Troopers Are the Subject of a Federal Investigation for Submitted False Data Regarding Traffic Stops
The U.S., according to Connecticut’s top state prosecutor. An investigation into allegations has been taken over by the Department of Justice.
and information on at least 26,000 traffic offenses to a racial profiling board has been taken up by the Department of Justice, Connecticut’s top state prosecutor said.
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — According to the state’s top prosecutor, the U.S. Department of Justice has taken over an investigation into claims that hundreds of Connecticut state troopers may have given false data on thousands of traffic violations to a racial profiling board. This information would have given the impression that police were stopping more white people than they actually were.
Governor Ned Lamont authorized an investigation on the submitted false data, which Chief State’s Attorney Patrick Griffin said his office was to postpone while the DOJ was conducting its own investigation.
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The impartiality of the inquiry being carried out by Griffin’s office, which collaborates with the state police on criminal matters, had come under scrutiny from civil rights organizations.
In addition to the Justice Department probe, Lamont also authorized an independent investigation on the submitted false data , which is currently being overseen by former Connecticut U.S. Attorney and current private lawyer Deirdre Daly.
An email requesting comments was not answered by the Justice Department. Both the state police and the U.S. attorney’s office in Connecticut declined to comment on the incident on the submitted false data on Friday.
The governor’s office has not been made aware of any DOJ investigations with regards to submitted false data according to Adam Joseph, director of Lamont’s communications.
In a statement, Joseph stated about the submitted false data, “We would welcome any law enforcement investigation to get to the bottom of this problem.
Data analysts from The University of Connecticut stated they had a “high degree of confidence” that more than 300 of the 1,300 troopers assessed supplied false data in an audit that was published in June.
