East Haven Chief of Police Leonard Gallo handed in his intent to retire to Mayor Joseph Maturo Jr this past Friday.

Maturo accepted Gallo's retirement after a meeting between the two, also on Friday.

That retirement, however, is not effective until Feb. 3. Why the extra several days in between?

The answer, according to Gallo's lawyer Jonathan Einhorn, is because the police chief's retirement benefits remain "unresolved."

And the Maturo administration and police chief need those few extra days to iron out the details.

"The reason for this delayed retirement is additional time is needed to agree upon a retirement package with the town," Einhorn told reporters during Monday's press conference announcing Gallo's retirement at East Haven Town Hall.

He added that the specifics of any pension plan for Gallo, a North Haven resident, have also "not been worked out."

"That's open, it's going to be resolved," Einhorn said of the terms of Gallo's retirement package.

"My anticipation is that the benefits he gets as a retired chief will be similar to, if not the same as, benefits awarded to other retiring chiefs — both fire and police — in East Haven," Einhorn said.

When asked by reporters if Gallo, 65, would lose his pension should the chief be arrested as part of the FBI's ongoing criminal probe into the police department — the chief has been identified as "Co-conspirator #1" in last Tuesday's grand jury indictment of four East Haven Police officers for civil rights violations — Einhorn said he did not think that that would disqualify him from those benefits.

"I don't believe it does in Connecticut, but the specifics of any pension have not been worked out," the lawyer said.

A video of Einhorn's question and answer session with the press from Monday's press conference has been posted in the gallery that accompanies this article.

Commission to Request Termination

But as East Haven Patch first reported earlier this morning, at their meeting tomorrow night, the East Haven Board of Police Commissioners are expected to recommend Maturo terminate Gallo's employment contract with the town prior to his effective retirement date of Feb. 3.

According to the East Haven Town Charter, only the mayor has the authority to hire and fire the police chief.

Police Commission Chairman Fred Brow told East Haven Patch that that would disqualify Gallo from receiving his retirement benefits from the town.

Brow added, however, that the police chief's pension plan is managed by the state, and therefore not underneath the jurisdiction of the town of East Haven.

Legal Fees

In addition to retirement benefits, the town may also end up paying for the police chief's legal fees.

Gallo is one of the named defendants in a federal civil rights against the town and several East Haven Police officers, as well as being the unidentified "Co-conspirator #1" in the grand jury's indictment of four East Haven Police officers, which was handed down last week.

But Einhorn said that even if Gallo is arrested, that does not mean the town is off the hook for the legal fees.

"Police officers are entitled to indemnity from any criminal actions, but they must succeed first. So the question also applies to all the other officers who have been arrested, and any further ones. They have to engage their own legal counsel. The town is not is not responsible to pay for their legal services — unless they are successful. And that's Connecticut law," he said.