Police Accountability Starts Here

Hartford residents have a choice

We can remain silent while civilian oversight of the Hartford Police Department is weakened - or we can stand up together and insist that accountability remains more than an empty promise.

On July 20 (Monday), the Hartford City Council will hold a public hearing at 7:00 p.m (Zoom only - click to join) on proposed amendments to strengthen the City's Civilian Police Review Board ordinance. This hearing is a defining moment for police accountability in Hartford.

View the proposed changes here:   Amendments to CPRB Ordinance.

In 2020, after the murder of George Floyd, Hartford's elected leaders gave the CPRB meaningful authority to investigate alleged police misconduct. The CPRB’s investigative tools include the power to issue subpoenas for testimony and records needed to uncover the truth, and to call for binding arbitration when the CPRB sustains a citizen’s misconduct complaint but the Hartford Police Department disagrees.

Those powers are now under intense attack – by both the HPD and the Hartford Police Union.

For months, disputes over subpoenas and access to Internal Affairs records have threatened to undermine the very system Hartford created to ensure independent civilian oversight. Whether you support every provision of the ordinance or not, one principle should unite us all:  Sunshine is the best disinfectant.

If police officers act professionally, transparency strengthens public confidence. If misconduct occurs, transparency allows the truth to emerge. Either way, accountability benefits everyone–including the many officers who serve honorably.

What, after all, should any public institution fear from independent oversight?

Accountability is never self-executing. It must be defended every day. This is a hair-on-fire moment, and without strong public engagement, years of hard-won progress could be dismantled. The authority citizens demanded after 2020 could be weakened just when it is needed most.

The debate before the Council begs a simple question: Who ultimately governs Hartford–the people through their elected representatives, or those who seek to insulate government from public scrutiny?

When the police union warns of "dark days ahead” if oversight continues, Hartford residents should respond with calm determination, not intimidation. Public officials work for the people. Police departments serve the community. Civilian oversight exists because public trust depends upon independent accountability.

That is why every Hartford resident has a stake in Monday's hearing.

Whether you are a business owner, a teacher, a student, a pastor, a neighborhood activist, a retiree, or simply someone who believes government should answer to the people, your voice matters.

Let's flood the zone.

Let's pack the virtual chambers.

Let's remind City Hall that Hartford expects oversight with real authority–not oversight in name only.

History shows that meaningful reform rarely happens because those in power volunteer it. It happens because ordinary people refuse to look away.

On Monday evening, sign up, log in, and testify in support of the ordinance amendments. To speak that night, reach out to Renato Calle and request the Zoom link:  [email protected] • (860) 996-0165.  Tell your elected representatives that Hartford deserves transparency, independent oversight, and a Civilian Police Review Board with the tools necessary to do its job.

The meeting agenda for the July 20 hearing is at https://hartford.civicweb.net/document/162285. Register to participate, and encourage your family, friends, neighbors, and colleagues to do the same.

The future of civilian oversight in Hartford depends on all of us.

On July 20, let's make sure Hartford is heard.

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Peter Little and Christopher Dukes, Co-founders, American Justice Project

J. Stan McCauley, President, Greater Hartford African American Alliance