Grand juror selected to probe police
By William Kaempffer, Register Staff May 10, 2000
NEW HAVEN - The head of the state?s judicial branch has impaneled the grand jury to investigate alleged misconduct by city police in connection with a 1996 North Haven murder investigation.
Sources close to the case confirmed Tuesday that Judge Robert C. Leuba, the chief court administrator, recently named a Superior Court judge to act as the grand juror. It could not be determined Tuesday who was selected.
Police department sources said they expect subpoenas ordering officers' testimony to begin arriving before the end of the month.
Meanwhile, the police internal affairs department continued its probe into the allegations that police supervisors in the detective bureau withheld evidence from North Haven investigators.
So far, during a two-week probe, internal affairs investigators have interviewed at least seven officers, including Capt. Brian Sullivan, chief of detectives.
Sgt. Edward Kendall, head of the department?s forensic unit, is scheduled to give a statement today, sources said.
Members of the internal affairs squad have declined comment about the investigation. The internal probe is not a criminal inquiry.
Unlike other states where grand juries are common and comprised of civilian jurors, Connecticut generally uses a one-judge panel to investigate alleged criminal wrongdoing. Grand juries here are rare.
The probe is targeting police conduct in connection with the investigation of the November 1996 murder of Philip S. Cusick.
Police believe Cusick was shot in New Haven but dumped by an acquaintance in front of his North Haven house. North Haven police are investigating the slaying and have not made an arrest.
The controversy surrounds a 1998 statement taken by New Haven detectives Stephen G. Coppola and Edwin Rodriguez.
An informant allegedly implicated a suspect in the slaying.
The detectives took the statement to their bosses and were told to end the investigation, sources said.
In question is whether New Haven police supervisors ever informed North Haven of the new evidence.
City officials have denied any wrongdoing.
New Haven State?s Attorney Michael Dearington launched the investigation earlier this year after a city police officer came to him with allegations of wrongdoing.
Dearington applied for the grand jury when his investigation stalled, sources said.
Last month, a panel of judges approved the application, sending the case to Leuba for appointment of the grand juror. Dearington has since transferred the investigation to the chief state?s attorney?s office.
¸New Haven Register 2000
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