Connecticut state police seek external probe of alleged antisemitic email

Citing concerns for the “professionalism” of command staff, state Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection Commissioner James Rovella who oversees the state police has requested an outside review of an alleged antisemitic email incident.

DESPP officials said they began investigating in early May after a longtime employee allegedly sent an internal email containing a derogatory term and the word “Jews” in the subject line.

“Based on our initial review, the commissioner had great concerns with the professionalism of the state police command staff in relation to the investigation,” said Brian Foley, an executive aide to Rovella. “As a result and at our request, the investigation now sits external to DESPP, with the possibility of the entirety of the incident could be investigated by an external investigation team.”

Foley declined further comment.

A May 9 letter from Rovella to the state’s Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities indicates that DESPP received a complaint about the email. According to the letter, the complaint makes “several allegations,” including claims against the agency’s Equal Employment Opportunity office.

Rovella referred the complaint to the CHRO for review and, “if appropriate,” have the state Department of Administrative Services conduct an investigation.

DAS is now “working to ensure there is no conflict of interest while conducting the investigation,” said Lora Rae Anderson, a spokesperson for the agency said.

The investigation began after an executive assistant with more than 15 years as a state employee sent the email May 6 to the DESPP’s equal opportunities officer and a state police colonel to discuss an upcoming interview with a job candidate, Foley said at the time.

Foley said “the body of the email was entirely related to the interview,” but the subject line contained a derogatory term and the word “Jews.”

When one of the recipients pointed out the language in the subject line, the employee apologized and “immediately said it must have been an autocorrect and he meant to type ‘interview,’” Foley said. The employee notified Rovella and requested an IT review to determine how the incident happened and how to prevent it in the future, Foley said.

“Regardless of the source, we are aware of how painful and frightening these words can be,” Foley said on May 6. “As a result, and at the request of the employee who sent the email as well as the order of the commissioner, we have initiated an investigation.”

Based on Rovella’s May 9 letter, it is unclear if anyone at the state police conducted an investigation. According to state law, any time the equal opportunity officer of an agency is involved in a complaint, the case is sent to DAS for investigation. DAS can either conduct an investigation or hire an outside firm to conduct an investigation, officials said.

The state’s Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities has not received a complaint from an individual regarding the email, said Darcy Strand, a spokesperson for the agency. Strand declined to comment on whether the CHRO reviewed the complaint forwarded by Rovella or passed the case on to DAS.

Hearst Connecticut Media Group filed a public records request for the email and any documents pertaining to the investigation. The DESPP legal department has not supplied the documents as of Wednesday. The employee who sent the email remains on the job, officials said.