Branford-- Branford Police officer Jim Johnson wears one of the department's new VieVu personal camera, which is flicked on when needed. Photo- Peter Casolino/New Haven Register 03/16/12

By Michael Bellmore
and Rich Scinto
Body cams may well be the next big change in policing.
A number of departments in the region have already started using them, and some chiefs say it’s only a matter of time until every officer in the country is equipped with a camera.
Advancement in technology and the lower cost that goes with it means officers can add to their gear lightweight cameras that will allow them to record their interactions with the public.

Read more here. 

Hamden Police Officer Stephen Baris shows his Electronic Controlled Weapon manufactured by Taser at the Hamden Police Department Thursday, April 4, 2013. Photo by Peter Hvizdak / New Haven Register.

By Michael Bellmore
Register Staff
Marcus Brown, 26, of Waterbury died while in police custody May 1, 2011.
He was handcuffed in the back of a patrol car after being apprehended in St. Mary’s Hospital, charged with breach of peace.
Brown was combative and repeatedly kicked the inside door and window of the police car. After issuing a warning, Waterbury police Officer Adrian Sanchez used a department-issue Taser, an electric stun gun, to subdue Brown.
Minutes later, Brown was found unresponsive. After being taken to the hospital emergency room, he was pronounced dead.

Read more here.

By Michelle Tuccitto Sullo

Investigations Editor

Michael Wood, a college student, is suing Hamden police in federal court for allegedly beating and using a Taser on him on Nov. 1, 2009 in Hamden when he was 18-years-old.

HAMDEN — What started with a fistfight over a cab ended with police using a Taser on college student Michael Wood and subjecting him to a “vicious and brutal beating,” according to a lawsuit Wood has filed against police.
At the end of the ordeal, Wood’s father, Ken, says he initially didn’t recognize his own son due to his injuries.

Read more here.

Michael Wood, a college student, is suing Hamden police in federal court for allegedly beating and using a Taser on him on Nov. 1, 2009 in Hamden when he was 18-years-old.

Gustavo Morales sued New Haven in 2011, claiming police punched him in the face while he was already handcuffed and offering no resistance. The lawsuit claims�Morales lost consciousness during the alleged beating.

By Michelle Tuccitto Sullo
Investigations Editor
While a federal probe concluded that unreasonable force was tolerated and encouraged in East Haven’s police department, three other Greater New Haven departments are facing more lawsuits alleging police brutality, a New Haven Register investigation found.
New Haven, Hamden, West Haven and East Haven have the bulk of the region’s legal complaints alleging excessive force — and attorneys representing those who are suing claim the departments have a problem and need to take action.

Read the full story here.

Watch a slideshow of individuals alleging police brutality here.

Read more about some excessive force cases in the region here. 

See a list of lawsuits with links to documents here.

East Haven Police Officer David Cari is photographedon 1/29/2010. Photo by Arnold Gold AG0350B

By Jennifer Swift
Register Staff
EAST HAVEN — Prohibited from performing police work, four officers arrested in early 2012 after a federal probe into alleged racial profiling collected salaries, retirement payouts and stipends totaling more than $300,000 while on paid administrative leave, documents show.
Officers still accrued sick and holiday time, despite never having to take a sick or vacation day because they were not permitted to work.
They also collected uniform stipends, despite not having to wear them, rewards for not smoking, and one even earned a perfect attendance stipend for $400. These stipends are stipulated in their union contract.

Read more here.