A Connecticut Arbitration and Mediation panel has upheld the termination of former New Haven Police Officer Christopher Troche after an investigation found he solicited sex from an undocumented woman he met while investigating a harassment complaint in 2021.
Troche was terminated from the New Haven Police Department (NHPD) in 2022 after an Internal Affairs investigation determined he offered money to the unnamed woman several times via text message for sex and met with her once to engage in sexual contact, plying her with alcohol even though she was underage, and paying her $100.
The local police union, however, filed a grievance arguing that Troche had never solicited or paid the woman for sex, that the investigation was conducted improperly, exculpatory information was not included, and that the woman was “not credible,” according to the arbitration decision.
The arbitration panel, however, disagreed, saying the text messages were ample proof of the solicitations.
“The text message that are in evidence show multiple instances, in Grievant’s own words, that he offered Complainant money for sex and nude pictures. We do not find credible Grievant’s testimony that paying for sex was a joke between them,” the arbitration panel wrote. “The credible evidence in the record supports a finding that Grievant offered Complainant money for sex on more than one occasion. Such actions constitute serious misconduct on the part of a police officer.”
According to the decision, Troche was hired in 2018 with the New Haven Police Department, and “was recognized as the hometown hero officer of the month in 2020. Shortly after initially making contact with the complainant in 2021, Troche was promoted from a patrolman to a plain-clothes narcotics detective.
The phone calls and text messages between Troche and the complainant continued from January 2021 through April when she lodged a complaint with the NHPD, whereupon the department placed Troche on administrative leave and launched their investigation that concluded with an April 2022 report by Internal Affairs. Troche was then terminated in June of 2022,
Troche was arrested for his conduct but pleaded not guilty and the criminal charges were eventually dismissed. The complainant alleged relationships with four other officers, according to the New Haven Independent, including another officer who was terminated for a similar incident.
The union argued that the existence of these relationships with other officers indicated that Troche was being unfairly disciplined, but the panel disagreed saying the other relationships were “consensual.”
“NHPD found, and no contrary evidence was presented, that Grievant was the only officer that offered Complainant money for sex and that her relationships with the other officers was consensual,” the panel wrote. “Based on the evidence in the record, we do not find that the imposed discipline was discriminatory or unequal and that it was commensurate with the seriousness of the offense.”
Troche’s termination and the accusations made headlines across the state. The complainant has since moved out of state.
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