Federal prosecutors have dropped an investigation into Connecticut state troopers for allegedly falsifying information on thousands of traffic stop tickets that may have skewed state racial profiling data, according to state officials.
Commissioner Ronnell Higgins of the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection said the U.S. attorney's office has ended its investigation of hundreds of state troopers who allegedly submitted false traffic stop information.
“There is no federal investigation going on right now,” he said.
Gov. Ned Lamont said the decision vindicates an earlier state finding that only a few troopers were involved.
“There were a lot of unsubstantiated allegations about our state troopers,” he said. “I think the investigation does us proud.”
“It speaks to the integrity of our state police. The overall majority every day try to go out there and do the right thing. There are six of seven bad apples, and we are going to hold them accountable," he said.
Six troopers and one constable remain on administrative leave pending the conclusion of a department review of their conduct, according to Higgins.
Federal authorities launched their probe a year ago after state investigations exposed discrepancies in police traffic stop reports to the state racial profiling board.
