East Haven Police Chief Gallo Subpoenaed to Hartford Monday

East Haven Police Chief Leonard Gallo, put on paid administrative leave last spring, will testify Monday at 11 a.m. before the Freedom of Information Commission in Hartford. He will be asked to explain why the police department has failed to hand over documents that were requested on March 11, 2010, under the state FOI Act regarding allegations of police abuse and racial profiling, according to Yale law students who helped file a lawsuit last month against Gallo and other East Haven cops.

The Department of Justice has been since 2009.

Mayor April Capone Almon, acting on the federal investigation and preliminary findings of racial discrimination and overall departmental weaknesses, put Gallo on administrative leave last April pending the DOJ's final report.

On  Oct. 26, 2010, the Yale students in federal district court -- on behalf of nine East Haven residents and a New Haven priest -- against the town, the police department, Gallo and police officers Dennis Spaulding, David Cari, Jason Zullo, Vincent Ferrara, David Olson, Frank Montagna, Edward Lennon, Michael Sorbo and Cheryl Conyers alleging civil-rights violations, including profiling Latinos.

The request for the documents was made by St. Rose of Lima Church and the Apostle Immigrant Services. Father James Manship of St. Rose, the priest-plaintiff in the lawsuit, was arrested by East Haven cops at My Country Store on East Haven's Main Street on Feb. 19. 2009. Manship said he was called to the store in response to a police raid.

Lt. Joseph Slane, who handles the department's records, was also subpoenaed to testify Monday. He, too, will be asked to explain why the police department still hasn't turned over the documents eight months after the FOI request.

According to a press advisory the law students issued Sunday night: "Chief Gallo is expected to testify about his knowledge of documents pertaining to the ongoing United States Department of Justice investigation into the EHPD along with other items relevant to the March 11 request. St. Rose and AIS served Chief Gallo with a subpoena last week ... The Commission has the statutory power both to compel the East Haven Police Department to produce information and to impose civil penalties for noncompliance. The hearing will be the second time this year that EHPD personnel have appeared before the Commission for non-compliance with FOIA requests. In an April 28, 2010 order, the Commission found that the EHPD had violated the Freedom of Information Act by failing to disclose documents regarding use of tasers and pepper spray and by failing to conduct a diligent search for the disciplinary files of a number of individual East Haven police officers."
 
Monday's hearing will be held in Freedom of Information Hearing Room A, located at 18-20 Trinity St., Hartford.  It is open to the public.