Two Connecticut Cops Found Guilty of Violating Civil Rights of Latinos

Two Connecticut police officers were found guilty Monday of violating the civil rights of Latinos following a federal investigation that showed evidence of discrimination against Latinos in the East Haven Police Department. 

According to CNN, Officer Dennis Spaulding and former officer David Cari were convicted of conspiring to violate and violating the civil rights of Latino citizens in East Haven, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney of the District of Connecticut. 

Spaulding and Cari were convicted of deliberately seeking to "injure, threaten and intimate" Latinos in the East Haven community, according to prosecutors. Evidence presented during the trial, which lasted a month, showed that the men made unlawful arrests of Latino individuals, including the arrest of a Catholic priest. At times, the officers also used excessive force.  

According to prosecutors, the men conspired to hide evidence of their misconduct by falsifying reports and trying to thwart an investigation. 

"No one is above the law, and no one is beneath the law's protection," acting U.S. Attorney Deirdre M. Daly said Monday. "The illegal behavior detailed during the course of this trial chips away at the public's trust in all members of law enforcement, the vast majority of whom serve honorably and bravely each and every day."

Cari and Spaulding, along with Jason Zullo and John Miller, two other East Haven officers, were arrested in January 2012 following a federal investigation into racial profiling in the city. 

"They behaved like bullies with badges," Janice Fedarcyk, assistant FBI director in New York, said in 2012.

The indictment that led to the trial cited instances in which the officers committed prejudicial acts against Latinos, including an incident on Jan. 21, 2009, when Spauling and Zullo assaulted two people they arrested under false pretenses by slamming their heads against the station's block walls. The indictment cited another incident in which Miller hit a detainee who was handcuffed after the individual was held up by two other officers. 

The arrests came weeks after a report from the Department of Justice, derived from an investigation that began in September 2009, that the town's police engages in "discriminatory policing against Latinos," including evidence that Latinos were "intentionally targeted" for traffic stops. The investigation found that 19.9 percent of stops made by East Haven police were against Latino drivers. The investigation therefore found that the evidence "shows pervasive discrimination against Latinos on every level of EHPD traffic enforcement activity." 

Evidence also cites that officers conducted unauthorized immigration investigations of Latino detainees. Investigators said the tactic was "used to harass and intimidate Latinos rather than pursue legitimate law enforcement objectives." 

Both Miller and Zullo pled guilty in 2012 to civil rights violations. Police Chief Leonard Gallo retired in February 2012 amid the controversy. 

Cari and Spaulding are set to be sentenced on January 21, 2014, and Miller and Zullo are awaiting sentencing. 

East Haven Mayor Joseph Maturo-- who faced backlash for making light of the situation after the arrests when he said he may "have some tacos" to show sensitivity toward the Latino community-- spoke about the community's efforts to rectify the situation. "For some in our community, today's verdict provides a sense of vindication and closure. For others, especially our police family, it is a difficult and sad occasion," Maturo said in a statement Monday. "What is clear is that for all of our residents, it is an opportunity to close a difficult chapter in our Town's past and move forward as one, unified community."

Since the arrests, some changes have been made in hopes of fostering cultural sensitivity. The police department now holds community meetings, offers cultural sensitivity training for town employees and provides resources for residents who have limited English language skills.