By Chris Powell
Most people in Connecticut want to support the police, especially now that social order seems to be breaking down throughout the state. But last week the state police union provided another reason why such support is not always deserved.
The union announced that its members had taken a vote of no confidence in the commissioner of the state Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, James C. Rovella, and his executive officer commanding the state police, Col. Stravros Mellekas. Union President Todd Fedigan charged that Rovella and Mellekas “allowed others to publicly make false allegations, destroy the morale of our troopers, and dismantle the reputation of the state police.”
This was in connection with the recent audit finding that 130 current or now-retired state troopers appear to have written about 26,000 fake traffic tickets in recent years, tickets that were entered into a state police database but not the Judicial Department’s database and so were never acted on.
The union’s complaint is nonsense. The audit was undertaken by an outside agency and the commissioner and the colonel had no control over it. Called to a hearing of the General Assembly’s Judiciary Committee, the commissioner couldn’t explain what had happened with the fake tickets, since, he said, his department’s investigation was incomplete. So he couldn’t defend what he didn’t know enough about, though he should have gotten better informed for the hearing.
But if, as the union president complains, the morale and reputation of the state police have been “destroyed” by the scandal, the union itself may have been in the best position to avert that. Surely some of its current and former members have a clue about what was going on with the fake tickets, and the union has yet to produce them for questioning in a public setting.
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But then like most government employee unions in Connecticut, the state police union is in business in large part to conceal, minimize, and excuse the misconduct of its members, not to ensure that anyone is held accountable for misconduct. A recent state police union contract prohibited disclosure of misconduct complaints.
The troopers union’s lack of confidence in management isn’t so important. Since the state police department is a public agency and its employees work for the public, the most important confidence to be maintained here is the public’s own. That confidence indeed has been damaged, and whatever has happened with the fake tickets, the public’s confidence will be restored only with full disclosure. Of course the union will resist that to the end.
Will anyone else produce full disclosure in the ticket scandal?
State police management could if it overcame its befuddlement.
The chief state’s attorney, Patrick Griffin, could but he suspended his investigation upon a request from the U.S. Justice Department to take over the case. That might take a long time since the department is so busy trying to subvert investigation of President Biden’s son, Hunter, for influence peddling to foreign interests.
That leaves the legislature’s Judiciary Committee. It could investigate by holding another public hearing, subpoena witnesses, and put them under oath. Such a hearing might be entertaining as well as informative, with any number of unionized state troopers taking the Fifth Amendment to avoid self-incrimination.
But the General Assembly doesn’t investigate anything. It just appoints study committees so difficult issues go away for at least a year or two.
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While Connecticut residents wait for an explanation of the traffic ticket scandal, they should listen to the recordings of 911 calls made to the state police from motorists caught in the street takeover riot in Tolland in May. The recordings were released by state police last week.
People pleading for help against assault by thugs were told that no help would be forthcoming, though supposedly state troopers were working under cover amid the rioters.
Governor Lamont and state legislators should listen to the recordings too and then explain their determination to disarm the law-abiding.
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Chris Powell has written about Connecticut government and politics for many years. (CPowell@cox.net)
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Chris Powell column 
“But the General Assembly doesn’t investigate anything. It just appoints study committees so difficult issues go away for at least a year or two.”
If this were in needlepoint, I would hang it on my wall.
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I can’t imagine the horror and rage felt by members of the public who were being assaulted while their property was being destroyed by a mob, and in terror calling 911 only to be told that no one would respond because the state police were told to “stand down.” Seems something more important than living up to their oath was taking place. Reprehensible.
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