Lawsuits and complaints continue to plague police in New London

Department dealt with 23 union grievances last year

— A New London police detective with a pending sex discrimination lawsuit against the city has filed a complaint with the state Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities alleging she was assaulted, or “body checked,” by a frustrated fellow investigator.

Detective Melissa Schafranski-Broadbent, in a complaint dated Feb. 29, claims an Aug. 5, 2023, incident was an example of continuing discrimination, retaliation and a hostile work environment in the department.

It’s the latest in a volley of lawsuits, grievances, complaints and counter-complaints that have plagued the department over the past several years and led to lengthy internal and outside investigations, and more recently settlements and a retirement. The department has dealt with 23 union grievances last year, most of which have not been settled.

Police Chief Brian Wright declined to discuss any pending litigation or personnel issues for this report, but said, “I believe we are headed for better times. We are making progress and our goal is to move forward.”

“We have some outstanding personnel at the New London police department, both sworn and civilian, that come to work everyday with the goal of performing the highest quality service for the city,” Wright said.

Wright, a nearly 30-year veteran of the department who became the city’s first Black chief in 2021, is not immune.

Just three months into his new position, Wright was forced to spend six weeks on administrative leave during an investigation into sexual harassment complaints by Lt. Jeffrey Kalolo, the same officer who Wright, when he was captain, had investigated in connection with Schafranski-Broadbent’s complaint.

Kalolo was temporarily demoted as a result of an internal investigation performed by Wright and was found to have violated the city’s harassment and discrimination policy.

Kalolo’s complaint against the chief was determined to be unfounded by an outside investigator but Kalolo responded by filing a lawsuit containing the same allegations. Kalolo retired earlier this month as part of a recent settlement in his lawsuit.

Schafranski-Broadbent’s lawsuit,

along with a lawsuit by Lt. Cornelius Rodgers alleging systemic racism in the department, both were filed during Wright’s first year as chief. The suits came at a time when the department was still recovering from the unexpected retirement of former chief Peter Reichard. Reichard had been secretly recorded by a police officer making disparaging remarks about the city.

Schafranski-Broadbent’s latest complaint alleges proper protocol was not followed in the investigation into her pending complaint, and that the result of her complaint was a hostile work environment.

Attorney Jacques J. Parenteau, who represents Schafranski-Broadbent in both the lawsuit and latest CHRO complaint, said Schafranski-Broadbent has legitimate concerns that her latest complaint “will not be well-received and could be retaliated against based on her previous experiences at the New London Police Department.”

“The atmosphere at the

New London Police Department is not conducive to equal working conditions for men and women,” Parenteau said.

The city, as part of the settlement in September with Rodgers in his long-pending federal discrimination lawsuit, denied racism exists at the department but awarded him $570,000 and agreed to diversity training.

“Every single police department has their problems. It seems like ours are never-ending, Lt. Joshua Bergeson said during a recent interview.

Bergeson is the former local union president, who has himself been the subject of multiple internal investigations. He filed a complaint last summer against the chief and Capt. Matthew Galante after he was disciplined for his encounter with a so-called “first amendment auditor” in the parking lot of the police department on Aug. 20, 2022.

Bergeson was suspended for eight days after bumping and blocking the path of the man, who refused to leave and was filming police vehicles and swearing at officers outside the police department headquarters.

Sailfest ‘push’

Bergeson turned around and filed a multi-pronged complaint against the chief and captain, in part arguing that if his interaction with the first amendment auditor was a violation, then so was the chief’s action on the night of July 7, 2022.

On that night, the chief was among the group of officers who used what is known as “the push,” at the end of Sailfest, forming a line across Bank Street and ordering the remaining people to move off of the street. Bergeson argues that Wright used force against a woman who was later arrested and charged with disorderly conduct.

“The female attempted to go around the other side of (Chief Wright), at which time he grabbed her arm and pulled her off of several steps back onto the sidewalk turning her body around by holding her arm,” the complaint alleges.

Bergeson contends that since he was cited for “use of force” in an investigation performed by Galante, Wright should have been reported for the same. Bergeson contends Galante, who witnessed the incident, should have filed a report. He said the standard applied in his case was not used in the chief’s case.

Bergeson also complained that the chief had violated the city’s zero-tolerance workplace violence policy when he did not place the officer accused of “body checking“Schafranski-Broadbent on leave during an internal investigation.

As a result of Bergeson’s complaints, Galante and Wright filed their own complaints against Bergeson, alleging the complaint was retaliation. Galante had performed the internal investigations into Bergeson since the only other captain at the department is Bergeson’s brother, Todd Bergeson.

Bergeson filed the complaint against Wright and Galante on June 3, 2023. The city hired the firm Rose Kallor to investigate and issued a report on Sept. 20, 2023. Bergeson was place on administrative leave on Sept. 29 and remained on leave for more than four months.

While on leave, the union elected a new union president, Brian Laurie.

Bergeson investigation

Attorney Michael Rose, who performed the investigation, said in his report “it was plain to me that Lt. Bergeson was motivated, in part, by his anger and displeasure at being the subject of a reprimand for failing to report his use of force against the first amendment auditors…” Rose said Bergeson “sought to embarrass and malign only those who disciplined him.”

Rose also said Bergeson’s complaint “constituted retaliation and retribution for Captain Galante and Chief Wright’s performance of their lawful duties.” The findings resulted in a one-week suspension in abeyance for Bergeson, which means he does not immediately have to serve the suspension.

Rose exonerated the chief and Galante of all of Bergeson’s complaints except for Wright’s failure to activate his body camera during the Sailfest “push” incident.

Asked about morale at the department, Bergeson said his sense is that the rank and file may be more hesitant to file a complaint under the circumstances that he just went through.

“Every city employee should be worried about this,” he said.

New London Chief Administrative Officer Steve Fields declined to discuss what he considered to be personnel issues related to the department but said the department, under Wright, was making progress and has the full backing of himself and the mayor.

“We see progress at the department,” Fields said. “The chief is doing a tremendous job recruiting and elevating the department...”

The department was recently reaccredited with the Connecticut Police Officer Standards and Training Council.