By Evan Lips
Register Staff
EAST HAVEN >> A New Haven man, who in April 2011 sued the East Haven and New Haven Police departments alleging officers broke his collarbone during a 2009 arrest at Trolley Square Plaza, recently reached a $15,000 settlement with East Haven, although the amount of the settlement reached with New Haven is still unclear.
East Haven Town Attorney Joseph Zullo recently confirmed the $15,000 settlement.

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By Evan Lips
Register Staff
EAST HAVEN >> Robert Salatto of New Haven, whose accusation that former Police Officer Jason Zullo purposely rammed his motorcycle as he sped away from an attempted traffic stop resulted in the officer entering a guilty plea, recently settled a $330,000 civil suit he filed against the Police Department.
New Haven attorney Hugh Keefe, who represented the town in the matter, confirmed Friday that the parties reached a settlement but refused to confirm the dollar amount and declined to make any further comment.

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Mara Lavitt/New Haven Register An East Haven cruiser and a car collided at the I-95 southbound entrance ramp on Sargent Dr. in New Haven 1/17.

Mara Lavitt/New Haven Register An East Haven cruiser and a car collided at the I-95 southbound entrance ramp on Sargent Dr. in New Haven 1/17.

By Jennifer Swift
Register Staff
EAST HAVEN >> Police officers acted in ways that were “unconstitutional,” abused their power and severely violated a litany of the department’s policies, procedures and codes of conduct, while investigating a misdemeanor and operating in New Haven months ago, an internal affairs investigation report shows.
The internal affairs investigation, obtained by the Register via a Freedom of Information request that was granted mid-day on the July 4 holiday, probed the conduct of seven officers and sustained allegations of misconduct for five of them for incidents on Jan. 17.
Several police officers questioned multiple people, drove through New Haven and East Haven with lights and sirens activated, and some changed their story during the course of the deputy chief’s investigation into the matter, all because they were investigating a misdemeanor purse snatching of an officer’s mother, which led them out of their jurisdiction.

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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.

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By Jennifer Swift

Register Staff

EAST HAVEN — More charges are pending against one of four police officers charged with conspiring to violate and violating civil rights, and more “overt acts” of three of the four officers originally charged are included in a superseding indictment that came down Tuesday.
The new charges came days after Sgt. John Miller pleaded guilty Friday to depriving an individual of his right to be free from the use of excessive force by a law enforcement officer and agreed to cooperate with the FBI. Miller could avoid jail time. The original indictment said the other three officers, Jason Zullo, David Cari and Dennis Spaulding, were known as “Miller’s Boys.”

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Gallo

By Jennifer Swift
Register Staff
EAST HAVEN — Former Police Chief Leonard A. Gallo received a nearly $95,000 payout when he retired in February, as one of 19 retirements in the town from 2011 to 2012, according to financial documents.
In total, the 18 other retirees received about $560,000, apart from their annual pensions.
The payouts are mandated in their contracts. The Register obtained details of the payouts through a request under the state Freedom of Information Act.

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Abby Hardy, 12, and her father Jeff Hardy Saturday 3/17/12. Kathy Hardy,Hardy's wife and Abby mother, was murdered in a horrific fire at their Branford home. Abby who was only 6 when her mother was murdered now knows many all the details. She wants to know why no one has been arrested in the case. Photo by Peter Hvizdak / New Haven Register

By Mark Zaretsky

Register Staff

BRANFORD — Three men allegedly plotted the 2006 arson murder of Kathy Hardy in a meeting days before the fire that killed the 39-year-old mother of three, someone who allegedly was there has told police, according to Hardy’s family.

Two of the men at the alleged meeting, which family members say took place at DePalma’s Apizza in East Haven, also allegedly showed up at the home of an East Haven woman the day of the fire, March 7, 2006, said Hardy’s mother.

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