State senator rips police probe into spitting incident

NORWALK — State Sen. Bob Duff claims “something is terribly wrong” at the Norwalk Police Department after an internal investigation found no evidence of widespread misconduct from city police officers who confronted him during a July meeting.

“It’s pretty apparent this was a belated and weak effort by the police chief to paper over the problems he can’t fix in his department,” Duff said in a statement Monday night.

An internal investigation was launched in September after the state Senate majority leader claimed he was “bullied” by Norwalk police for his role in passing the police accountability bill during a July 24 meeting with the department officials.

Duff claimed he was intimidated by as many as 30 Norwalk police officers who, after the meeting in police headquarters, verbally harassed him then approached his car in a threatening manner. Another officer, he said, spit at him during the incident.

The investigation found that officer Mike Silva, a 32-year veteran at the department, was the only officer who “acted in a manner inconsistent” with the department’s code of conduct.

Police suspended Silva for two days without pay after he admitted to spitting on the ground in “a show of disrespect” to Duff during the incident, Chief Thomas Kulhawik said.

The investigation also found no evidence to back up a claim from Duff that a motorist, who he suspected was an off-duty police officer, drove by his home shouting expletives that were heard by his family.

But Duff said he was not “particularly interested in the predictable outcomes” of the investigation.

“The chief’s time would have been better spent trying to change the culture of the department. What he fails to recognize is that by coddling these few bad cops, he diminishes and demoralizes the majority of officers who work hard and are looking for strong leadership from the top. Sadly they will have to wait longer for that day as the chief continues to lead from the rear,” Duff wrote.

Between his confrontation with police and the recent arrests of two Norwalk officers, Duff said it is time for Kulhawik to develop “a concrete plan” for the department to “acknowledge its shortcomings and take corrective action to benefit the entire community.”

“If the chief doesn’t step up and be a catalyst for change, then our city leadership should intervene and implement the necessary corrective actions before the community loses any more confidence in the department,” he said.

Mayor Harry Rilling, the city’s former police chief, said on Tuesday that he hasn’t had time yet to review the 42-page investigative report. He did say, however, that he believes the department has “the right policies and procedures in place” to deal with this incident, and others like it, correctly.

“I’ve said many times that I have total confidence in my police department. I also have nothing but respect for Senator Duff, I know that he works very hard on behalf of the city of Norwalk and that he has always been very supportive of the men and women of the police department and has always sang their praises,” Rilling said.

Kulhawik called the internal investigation “very comprehensive,” including over 30 interviews, a review of all surveillance footage and a cellphone video of the union meeting with Duff that preceded the confrontation.

The department’s review of the incident, he said, simply “did not support all (Duff’s) claims.”

“As the chief, I have to base my decisions on facts and evidence,” he said. “I believe the facts and evidence speak for themselves.”

Following the incident, Kulhawik said Duff asked him to resign from his position on two statewide committees — the Police Accountability and Transparency Task Force, which he joined in September 2019, and the Connecticut Sentencing Commission, which he had been a member of for several years.

When Kulhawik did not resign, Duff removed him from the appointed positions, Duff confirmed.

Kulhawik said on Tuesday he was “disappointed” but not surprised by Duff’s comments.

“It was not a surprise that he would attack me personally as a result,” Kulhawik said. “I am saddened by this as I had previously considered him a friend.”

The incident in question occurred on July 29 when Duff was invited to speak to the union’s executive board about the police accountability bill, which bans chokeholds and creates a decertification process that can end the hiring of officers fired from one department for law enforcement jobs in other Connecticut towns. It also holds officers responsible for reporting fellow officers who violate standards.

Duff