The City of Hartford has contracted with a company based out of New York City to conduct investigations for the city’s Civilian Police Review Board (CPRB), raising concerns from board chairman Eric Crawford over how effectively the contractor will be able to communicate with city residents and understand the community.
Hartford selected Integrated Security Systems (ISS), a private security and investigations company based in New York and with a satellite office in Stamford, following a competitive bidding process that saw ISS offer a bid of $60,000 — less than half the bid proposed by Hartford-based New Light Investigations, which has been handling CPRB investigations since 2019.
The investigation contractor serves as the board’s independent investigator, separate from the police department’s own internal affairs investigation. The contractor investigates the complaints filed by civilians against police officers and compiles a report, which is then submitted to board members and the city’s inspector general. The investigators or inspector general will then summarize their findings publicly during CPRB meetings and board members ultimately make their decisions.
Crawford said he was pleased with New Light’s work over the past five years, and while he was aware the city put investigation services out to bid, he would have liked to offer some input as to what board members need and expect following changes made to the CPRB in 2020 meant to enhance the board’s effectiveness.
“I only wish they would have talked to me before they put that bid out so we could have the appropriate items in that bid,” Crawford said. “It seems like they’re going back to what the original board were doing, which I thought wasn’t on the best behalf of the citizens in terms of delivery, investigative, and just good customer service.”
“I’m just a little uncomfortable. With the new ordinance and the inspector general, we were reforming that board and it was working very efficiently,” Crawford said. “We wanted to be more efficient, we wanted to have a little bit more authority over these complaints, and it was working extremely well.”
Crawford said he has concerns over how ISS may handle investigations going forward, saying that often phone call interviews are ineffective because people change numbers or don’t answer, and that a contractor with roots in the city is more adept at understanding the community and its history. Ultimately, he felt it was about ensuring good “customer service.”
The contract with ISS, while perhaps new for Crawford and the other members of the board, isn’t new for the City of Hartford or the police department. ISS previously handled investigations for the CPRB from 2005 to 2019 and has handled investigations and reviews for the city even after they lost the CPRB contract.
ISS owner and former NYPD detective Alan Schissel says his company is very familiar with the Hartford community, the police department, and the needs of the CPRB.
“We were awarded this contract back in 2005 when the mayor’s office decided to outsource this to private investigators,” Schissel said. “Then they appointed an IG and took a different direction with investigations and the work product.”
“We also have a working relationship with the Hartford police department, and we’ve done investigations on behalf of them, as well, and we’ve spoken extensively with the Hartford Police Union,” Schissel said. “We’re very balanced in terms of our relationship with the City of Hartford, with its law enforcement community, and its private citizens.”
Notably, ISS was hired to conduct an independent review of the city’s handling of a “dead pool” text message scandal in 2021 – essentially officers betting on where the first homicide of the year will take place. The detective who sent the text was ultimately demoted and two of his supervising officers were disciplined.
The review by ISS, however, determined the discipline was “excessive,” and while it called for greater transparency with the community also urged the HPD to exercise restraint in their responses to “armchair experts” and “social media evangelists,” according to CT Insider.
The Hartford Police Union and the CPRB have had a contentious relationship in the past, with the union pushing back against board decisions and, in particular, trying to oust former Inspector General Liam Brennan, or blocking him from questioning police officers, which they said was due to on-going union negotiations with the city. The union argued Brennan was using his position with the board to enact his political views.
Hartford Police Union President Sgt. James Rutkauski believes ISS will conduct more balanced and fair investigations, stating he believes the CPRB investigations conducted during Brennan’s tenure as IG were unfairly “slighted” against the officers for ideological reasons.
“My issue with Liam and New Light was they weren’t doing a complete investigation,” Rutkauski said. “I don’t mind being held accountable, I don’t mind the men and women of this department being held accountable. We make mistakes, but when you’re trying to leverage and move something that isn’t an issue into being an issue, it’s ridiculous.”
Rutkauski said he previously considered hiring ISS to reinvestigate cases handled by New Light and Brennan so he would have an independent review showing bias against officers to present for an ethics complaint. “We have a hard enough time doing this job,” Rutkauski said.
Jacqueline Manning, founder and owner of New Light Investigations, said she stands by her work, and that Rutkauski’s comments that her agency’s investigations were ideologically biased are, “reckless and divisive, but also defamatory, disregarding both facts and truth.”
“Sgt. Rutkauski lacks any evidence to support initiating an ethics investigation into my agency or to suggest that our investigations have been biased against police officers due to ideological reasons,” Manning said. “While he claims to be willing to be held accountable, his concurrent irresponsible statements in this article about my agency cast doubt on that claim. I fully stand by the investigative work my agency has done for the CPRB.”
Reached for comment, Brennan said in an email that the union tended to agree with the board when they did not sustain allegations against officers, and “expressed disagreement” when they did – something he said is “natural, based on the union’s role.”
“We treated all cases with rigor and independence and appreciated the city government’s support in those efforts,” Brennan said. “I wish future investigators the best of luck and hope that the city continues to support all efforts to make sure their work is unfettered and free from outside pressure.”
The review board made significant strides following the reforms implemented by Mayor Luke Bronin’s administration, which included a major budget increase, subpoena powers, and hiring a full-time inspector general to review the cases. The board met regularly and managed to erase a long backlog of complaints.
However, the board’s progress stalled following the departure of Brennan – who eventually took a position with the City of New Haven following a primary run for New Haven mayor — and the search for his replacement. The board of volunteers is scheduled to begin meeting again on October 23 following their summer break.
Both Crawford of the CPRB and Schissel of ISS say they are scheduled to hold an online meeting to discuss details and establish a working relationship moving forward.
“I just hope it wasn’t due to saving dollars and cents as opposed to providing good customer service and a thorough investigation,” Crawford said of the switch to ISS. “We have a new administration, they have ideas, they want to do things; as a chair, I’m not prepared to try to start all over again. I put a ton of work into this thing the last three years to get it to where it is. I can’t work backwards with this.”
“It has been an honor to serve the residents of Hartford, the CPRB, former Inspector Generals, and Internal Affairs for over 13 years. Significant progress has been made in improving board hearings and the independent investigation process, and I am proud to have contributed to that growth,” Manning said. “I sincerely hope that all involved in this critical work continue to engage in open dialogue and make progress toward healing divisions within our city.”
**This article was updated with comments by Jacqueline Manning**
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