Judge ends Hartford police consent decree despite concerns

By DAVE COLLINS
Associated Press

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — A judge has ended the nearly 50 years of federal oversight of police in Hartford, Connecticut. That comes amid criticism by observers that the department still hasn’t hired enough minority officers to reflect the city’s population. U.S. District Judge Kari Dooley in Bridgeport ruled Friday that the plaintiffs failed to prove the police department was violating any part of the original 1973 consent decree agreement or its 2010 revisions. The consent decree was one of the longest in the country. It was the result of a 1969 civil rights lawsuit against Hartford police by several city residents who alleged a pattern of violence and intimidation by officers.