Police Chief At Center Of Latino Harassment Charges Resigns

The chief of police of the Connecticut town at the center of a Department of Justice harassment investigation has resigned. If you recall, the investigation found widespread discrimination against Latinos in violation of the Constitution and federal law.

According to a Los Angeles Times report Chief Leonard Gallo announced his retirement, but his spokesperson says that it does not signal an admission of guilt. The DOJ investigation against the East Haven, Conn., Police Department:

began in September 2009 after complaints that police were subjecting Latinos to unreasonable traffic stops and other detentions, targeting their places of business and at times roughing them up. Latinos, who 10 years ago comprised about 4% of the population, now make up 10% of the city’s 28,000 residents.

Justice officials, in a 23-page finding released in December, accused the police of “systematically discriminating against Latinos” and called the problem “deeply rooted” in the department’s culture.

Gallo’s attorney maintains that the chief’s retirement is not an admission of guilt:

At a news conference in East Haven, (Jonathan) Einhorn said Gallo wanted to avoid being a “distracting element” as the city deals with the scandal.

Four East Haven police officers have been arrested on conspiracy charges steaming from the investigation. The Mayor of the Connecticut suburb, Joseph Maturo, was recently under fire for his answer to a reporter’s question who asked him what he would do for the Latino community in the wake of the police officers’ arrests. Maturo said he “would eat some tacos.”

The Mayor, meanwhile, is under increasing pressure to resign. A Facebook page that calls for Maturo’s resignation has amassed  more than 1,000 Likes. But Mayor Maturo has no plans for leaving office.