Posts tagged Connecticut State Police
Top Connecticut state police leaders retiring as investigators probe fake traffic ticket data claims
October 4, 2023 // In August, the state police union voted no confidence in both Rovella and Mellekas, accusing them of not defending troopers against allegations involving the traffic stop data. Rovella was confirmed by state lawmakers in February 2019 to serve as commissioner of the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, which oversees state police. He's been in law enforcement for four decades, including as a homicide detective and the chief for Hartford police. Mellekas joined the state police as a trooper in 1994 and worked his way up to become commanding officer in 2019. He previously worked as a police officer at the U.S. Capitol. An audit released by University of Connecticut data analysts in June found a "high degree of confidence" that troopers submitted false information on citations for at least 25,966 traffic stops, and possibly more than 58,000 stops, that may have never happened from 2014 to 2021.
CT State Police union issues vote of no confidence in leaders amid ticketing scandal
August 14, 2023 // Connecticut’s state police union has issued a vote of no confidence in its police leadership after lawmakers grilled state police leaders about thousands of potentially fake traffic tickets last month. The Connecticut State Police Union issued the scathing letter to their leaders and a vote of no confidence, while also filing an injunction to keep the names of the troopers involved sealed. The letter, dated Thursday, accuses Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection Commissioner James Rovella and State Police Col. Stavros Mellekas of “foster(ing) an environment of mistrust” and “tarnishing the reputation of Connecticut State Police.”