Family of Norwich man who overdosed in custody considers wrongful death suit
— Norwich Police Chief Patrick Daley said Wednesday he could not discuss the outcome of a yearlong state investigation into the death of a man being held at the police department, citing a pending lawsuit by the man’s family.
The state Office of Inspector General released the 17-page report Tuesday that concluded Brenton Chambers, 42, died of an accidental fentanyl overdose while in a holding cell at the Norwich Police Department on Feb. 4, 2022.
The report revealed Chambers had a stash of drugs hidden inside secret pockets in his clothing and apparently turned away from cameras to consume them.
Inspector General Robert J. Devlin cited the brand of clothing, RAW, had several concealed pockets “designed to secrete drugs or other contraband.” The inspector general suggested police remove a person’s clothing and provide alternative clothing, returning the person’s clothes when the person is transported to court.
The report found no criminal wrongdoing by Norwich police officers in Chambers’ death.
Daley said Wednesday he could not comment on any aspect of the report, Chambers’ death, police response or policy changes, because the family has filed an intent to file a civil lawsuit.
In July, Travis Chambers of Colchester, fiduciary of the estate of Benton Chambers, filed the notice of intent to file action “for injuries
“The report was really done with the purpose of determining whether there was police brutality. At no time did the family believe police brutality did contribute to his death.” ATTORNEY KEVIN BRIGNOLE
sustained by means of wrongful death and/or the negligence, carelessness, recklessness of various employees of the City of Norwich,” including Daley and unnamed police officers.
Attorney Kevin Brignole, who is representing Travis Chambers, said Wednesday he is in the investigation stage and had no timeline for a decision to file a lawsuit. Brignole said the family initially had more questions than answers about Chambers’ death, and the inspector general’s report answered some of those questions.
“The report was really done with the purpose of determining whether there was police brutality,” Brignole said. “At no time did the family believe police brutality did contribute to his death . ... It’s disconcerting that a man with known substance abuse issues can walk right into the Norwich police station and overdose while in custody. The family believes this was preventable, and more should have been done to protect their loved one.”
The Office of Inspector General was created in 2021 by the General Assembly as an outgrowth of the Police Accountability Act passed in 2020. The office investigates police-related shootings and use-of-force incidents that result in death ,as well as investigates deaths of people in the custody of police or the Department of Correction. The investigations previously were conducted by the local judicial district’s state’s attorney’s office.
The Norwich branch of the NAACP advocated for the police accountability law and sought open communication with police and the new inspector general’s office. Branch leaders formed a local police accountability task force that meets quarterly with Norwich police leaders.
Following Chambers’ death, NAACP leaders met in July with Daley, Inspector General Devlin and members of his staff to discuss the investigation. Initially, NAACP leaders said they had concerns about the incident and police response.
NAACP met Tuesday with inspector general
Devlin agreed to meet with NAACP leaders again prior to releasing the final report. On Tuesday, Devlin, members of his staff and the state prosecutor’s office, Daley and other high-ranking Norwich police officers met for an hour with former NAACP President Shiela Hayes and current NAACP President Anthony Holland.
Hayes and Holland called the meeting “very productive.” They reviewed the findings and recommendations. The NAACP leaders were invited to examine Chambers’ clothing with the hidden pockets.
Holland said police departments throughout the state should be made aware of new clothing brands with concealed pockets, such as RAW. He said a segment of the Norwich police video released showed a Groton police officer picking up a different suspect, who was wearing very similar RAW clothing.
Holland said another idea discussed Tuesday called for creating a regional temporary holding center at a local Department of Corrections site, where emergency medical staff and mental health professionals are on hand to respond to emergencies.
Norwich currently is renovating its antiquated holding cells, and the NAACP leaders were allowed to view the cells under construction.
Hayes said having a regional facility with emergency resources would have helped with a person like Chambers, who had a long history of substance and mental health issues.
The inspector general’s report did not address the apparent lack of use of naloxone, an overdose reversal drug, in Chambers’ situation. Hayes said they discussed the issue during the meeting Tuesday. Norwich police do not have universal training to carry and administer naloxone.
Daley said he could not comment on the department’s naloxone practices Wednesday.
Hayes said Norwich police said during the meeting that Norwich police will undergo naloxone training in March.
Hayes said it was important for the Norwich NAACP to keep track of the investigation to make sure the process followed the intent of the police accountability law.
“That’s what we expect from the inspector general’s office,” Hayes said. “The one thing we could look at is the length of time this took. A full year is a long time. We’re not questioning the thoroughness of the work that was done.”
NAACP President Anthony Holland said police departments throughout the state should be made aware of new clothing brands with concealed pockets, such as RAW. He said a segment of the Norwich police video released showed a Groton police officer picking up a different suspect, who was wearing very similar RAW clothing.