Glastonbury disciplines six Police Department employees

May 13—GLASTONBURY — The town disciplined six employees from September through April 1, and all were in the Police Department.

That is among the most notable aspects of disciplinary letters released by the town in response to freedom-of-information requests filed by the Journal Inquirer.

All but one of the disciplinary actions were written reprimands, often for things such as lateness to work or carelessness.

The only more serious penalty was a two-day suspension of Officer Brendan Lynch for causing about $500 in damage to Police Department property.

Chief Marshall S. Porter's April 1 disciplinary letter to Lynch doesn't detail the damage or what Lynch did to cause it but does say he was reprimanded twice in 2020 for Code of Conduct violations relating to attendance and report writing.

EMPLOYEE DISCIPLINE

RECIPIENTS: All in the Police Department

ACTION TAKEN: One two-day suspension and six written reprimands, two of them to a single employee

SENSITIVE AREA: Pursuit

Among the most revealing letters of reprimand are two stemming from the same Sept. 7 motor vehicle chase, both combining praise and criticism of the officers.

The incident started with a report of an assault on Pratt Street at 9:38 p.m. As Officer Jason DiBenedetto approached the area, a dispatcher told him the suspect was heading toward Main Street in a white Lexus.

DiBenedetto subsequently radioed that he had located the vehicle and that it had failed to stop when he activated his emergency lights and siren on Main Street. DiBenedetto ended the pursuit on his own after driving about a quarter mile south on Main Street.

"This showed good judgment on your part," wrote Sgt. Anthony Pagliughi in the letter of reprimand, adding that the Lexus was going about 65 mph as it approached New London Turnpike in events captured by a video camera in DiBenedetto's cruiser.

Then-Officer Christopher Procaccini, who has since left the department, eventually stopped the vehicle on Forest Lane, which runs off Manchester Road in the East Glastonbury section of town.

The sergeant criticized DiBenedetto for failing to go to Forest Lane or have the officers who were there take enforcement action relating to the pursuit and "egregious motor vehicle violations" by the driver.

Pagliughi also criticized DiBenedetto for failing to include the pursuit in the original draft of his report on the incident.

The sergeant wrote that DiBenedetto's explanation was that he didn't consider the incident a pursuit. But Pagliughi explained that it met the definition of a pursuit in the department's general orders.

"I advised you that it was a high liability area for the department and therefore was crucial to be documented in the report," the sergeant added.

He wrote that he had instructed DiBenedetto to complete an arrest warrant, which the officer did. Online state judicial records don't show a pending case or conviction for the driver, indicating either that police failed to get approval for the arrest or that a case was filed and ended without a conviction.

In his letter of reprimand to Procaccini, the sergeant said he had made the stop safely and detained the driver, adding, "I applaud your efforts."

But he criticized Procaccini for failing to make video or audio recordings of the incident and for failing to wear his "soft body armor," all violations of the general orders.

Other officers who received reprimands were:

—Agent James Kennedy, who received two, for careless or negligent handling of an Oct. 17 call for service on Broadleaf Circle and for arriving late to work Oct. 26.

—Communications Supervisor Gene Jopeck for sending a citizen who came in with a purse found in an East Hartford parking lot to the Police Department in Middletown, where the citizen lived, rather than accepting the purse and turning it over to an officer.

—Lt. Kevin Troy for failing to call in sick at the required time before failing to show up for an overtime shift.

The Journal Inquirer tried to contact all the employees who were disciplined — including by mailing letters to two addresses found on the internet for Procaccini — but none responded.

For updates on Glastonbury, and recent crime and courts coverage in North-Central Connecticut, follow Alex Wood on Twitter: @AlexWoodJI1, Facebook: Alex Wood, and Instagram: @AlexWoodJI.