The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
CT state police use-of-force incidents increased in 2019
As the governor and Connecticut lawmakers consider police accountability reforms, a review of the latest state police annual report reveals use-of-force incidents were up in 2019.
Connecticut state police were involved in 7 percent more use-of-force incidents and 14 percent more applications of force in 2019 than the previous year, according to the agency’s annual analysis of these incidents.
The report also shows the use of certain types of force, such as police K-9s and Tasers declined, while deploying pepper spray increased 225 percent in 2019.
Overall, the agency made 9,829 arrests with less than 1 percent resulting in a use-of-force incident in 2019, according to the report.
This year, arrests were down markedly as of March when the COVID-19 pandemic began to impact Connecticut. Updated arrest and traffic stop statistics were not available Friday.
In recent years, state police arrests have steadily declined from 11,989 in 2017, to 10,478 in 2018, to 9,829 in the report said. The most recent figures for this year showed 777 arrests in February and 621 arrests in March.
The 2020 numbers will likely be impacted by the pandemic and an executive order issued last week by Gov. Ned Lamont to address calls for more police accountability in response to George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis.
Lamont’s executive order banned state police from using chokeholds or other restraints that could impact breathing or blood flow to the head and neck. He also issued several other measures to improve public trust and safety, including requiring troopers to use de-escalation, when possible, before using force.
Floyd died May 25 after a Minneapolis police officer kept his knee on the man’s neck for nearly nine minutes as he was being taken into custody over a potential counterfeit $20 bill. His death was marked by nationwide protests, including in Connecticut where activists closed highways and have camped out at police departments to demand change.
Lamont’s executive order applies only to the state police. But legislators are working on a police accountability package, which will be considered during a special session this summer and will apply to local and state police agencies.
In response to Lamont’s order, state police plan to provide more de-escalation and implicit bias training that will involve input from local community leaders, according to Trooper First Class Christine Jeltema, a spokeswoman for the agency.
“We want them to give input,” she said. “This is a team effort and we’re working to build community trust.”
State police began gathering and publishing data on use-of-force incidents about five years ago to be more transparent, Jeltema said.
“We hope that what we’re doing becomes a model for other agencies throughout the state,” Jeltema said.
The annual report explains the various types of force sanctioned by the state police and examines the number of incidents and other related data.
About two-thirds or 66 percent of the 94 use-offorce incidents in 2019 involved alcohol, the report said. In addition, 25 of the incidents required the person to be sent to the hospital for a mental health evaluation.
Jeltema said there could be various types of force used in each of the incidents. In 2019, there were 238 applications of force related to the 94 incidents, the report said. That’s a 14 percent increase compared to the 202 applications of force used in 88 incidents in 2018.
The use of deadly force was down from five incidents in 2017, to three in 2018 and two in 2019. The number of incidents refers to the amount of police officers involved. For ex2019, ample, there was one occurrence in 2019, but it involved two state troopers. The two troopers fatally shot a suspect who allegedly fired at Norwich police and carjacked a vehicle. Both troopers were exonerated in the death.
The use of Tasers was down 17 percent from 48 in 2018 to 40 in 2019. The use of pepper spray rose from four instances in 2018 to 13 in 2019 — an increase of 225 percent. At the same time, the use of K-9s dropped 33 percent from 12 in 2018 to eight last year.
There were five complaints from the public alleging excessive force in 2019. Three of the complaints were closed and the officer was determined to be “exonerated.” One complaint was closed as “sustained” and the fifth complaint is still under investigation.
The agency was required to start reporting the use of chokeholds this year after the passage of a 2019 police accountability bill. Prior to Lamont’s executive order, state police were not required to report the number of times officers displayed a firearm. But state police were required to report any discharges of a firearm for other than training or to dispatch an animal.
The yearly statistics are compiled partly to assist commanders identify troopers who may “exhibit signs of performance and/or stress-related issues, and who may benefit from early intervention,” the report said.