The whistleblower that came forward to report “systemic” problems within the Connecticut State Police internal affairs department claims in a federal lawsuit that he was retaliated against by fellow law enforcement officers.
What’s worse is Attorney General Richard Blumenthal failed to protect him, the lawsuit filed May 11 claims.
State Police Sgt. Andrew Matthews and his Attorney Norman Pattis claim in the lawsuit against Blumenthal, Col. Edward Lynch, Major Christopher Arciero, Lt. William Podgorski, and Col. Thomas Davoren, that they each had a duty to prevent other law enforcement officers from violating Sgt. Matthews rights.
According to the lawsuit, Matthews went to Blumenthal in June 2005 to seek whistleblower protection for speaking out about the corruption he witnessed. He was given whistleblower protection in August of 2005.
But when it came time to defend Matthews, Blumenthal delayed the release of a report that showed the pattern of intimidation and harassment Matthews sustained after coming forward. Matthews hoped to use the report, which was finished in April 2007 to aid in his Connecticut Human Rights Organization complaint against law enforcement officials, but the lawsuit claims Blumenthal refused to sign off on the report until he was told he would be sued for withholding the report.
“Blumenthal withheld publication of any report until after the plaintiff made clear his intent to withdraw the CHRO action and to bring a suit naming defendant Blumenthal as a defendant for failure to release the report,” the lawsuit claims.
It goes onto explain, “Plaintiff disclosed to defendant Blumenthal’s office at about 1:00 p.m. on May 9, 2007, that the plaintiff intended to withdraw the CHRO action and to name defendant Blumenthal as a defendant. By 2:00 p.m., a staff member of defendant Blumenthal called The Hartford Courant and stated that a report favorable to the plaintiff would be released on May 9, 2007. A report finding that he was a victim of harassment and intimidation was e-mailed to plaintiff’s counsel at approximately 2:30 p.m.”
The lawsuit goes onto claim that Blumenthal also delayed the release of the New York State Police investigation into the Connecticut State Police “until after the general election in November 2006 so as to keep the report from having an impact on the general elections held that month.”
Each of the defendants are being sued in their individual capacities and not their official capacities.
Click here for the New York State Police’s 13-month investigation into the alleged misconduct of the Connecticut State Police. And here’s the lawsuitfiled by Matthews.