By GLADYS ALCEDO
Day Staff Writer, Groton
Published on 10/27/2005

Groton— The New London branch of the NAACP has charged that the city police department is threatening to discipline a black officer because he had complained that a white patrol sergeant made comments that had “racial overtones.”

Patrol Officer Peter D. Miller faces a possible 30-day suspension without pay for “inappropriately” damaging a city cruiser March 9 and giving “inconsistent and self-serving statements” during a subsequent internal investigation. Miller denied knowledge of what caused the damage.

Miller, who was hired in 2001, is one of two black officers on the 31-member city police force.

Waldren Phillips, president of the New London branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said the looming disciplinary action was an attempt by the police department's administration to discredit and retaliate against Miller for a verbal complaint he made against Sgt. Robert A. Martin in late January.

“They deliberately tried to discredit this officer and destroy him so they don't have to deal with the racial complaint,” Phillips said. “It's obvious by the trail of the papers and the sequence of events. It doesn't take a rocket scientist.”

Phillips has declined to provide details in support of the NAACP's complaint.

“You just have to see how these cards play out. I firmly believe there are some racist motivations here,” he said. “I can't give you all my apples in my basket. He certainly didn't damage the car.”

Mayor Dennis L. Popp, Police Chief Bruno L. Giulini and Deputy Police Chief Patrick T. McMahon said the damage to the car and Miller's complaint against Martin were not connected in any way.

“One has absolutely nothing to do with the other,” said McMahon, who said he was “appalled and disgusted” by the NAACP's claims.

Giulini said the proposed disciplinary action against Miller was based on the damaged vehicle and evidence that the officer was responsible for it. He called the NAACP charges “bogus,” adding that he was “deeply offended” by the comments and “the attack” the group has made.

“We didn't create the damage,” Giulini said. “If they have some information that is exculpatory it's incumbent upon them to bring it up.”

The police department's chaplain, the Rev. Joseph L. Coleman, who is black, backed the NAACP's claims.

Donald Williams, Miller's attorney, said he has filed a discrimination complaint against the police department with the state Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities. A copy of the complaint could not be obtained Wednesday.

The president of the police union, which also will represent Miller during the Nov. 30 disciplinary hearing, has declined comment on the NAACP's claims, but continued to assert Miller was not responsible for the damage to the car.

Giulini confirmed that Miller and a white patrol officer who drove the car during an earlier shift were asked to take polygraph tests as part of the internal probe, but neither one did. The internal probe determined the damage occurred during Miller's shift.

The chief said other officers have been disciplined for damage to police cruisers but that “up until now every officer took responsibility for the damage.”

Phillips, Coleman and Williams said the police department's administration had failed to address Miller's complaint against Martin.

“They haven't addressed the underlying claim,” Williams said. “Everyone else seems to see it except the police chief.... The problem is when you have senior administration that isn't taking the claims seriously, particularly Miller's, and there's nothing done about it, it sends out a message it's condoning mistreatment and discrimination.”

Rather than investigate Miller's complaint, Coleman said, the department pursued the probe into the damaged police car.

“This was one way to say to Miller, ‘Shut up and let the other thing go and we'll let this go.' This stinks and this is not right,” Coleman said. “For some reason they don't want to deal with any racial discrimination.”

On Jan. 27, Miller spoke to McMahon about comments Martin made in February 2004, June 2004 and last December, according to documents released by the NAACP through its spokesman, James Johnson.

In one instance, in June 2004, Miller said he and Martin responded to a Bridge Street party involving a large group of black and Hispanic males. Martin, according to Miller, lost sight of one of the individuals he was talking to and said “they all look alike.”

Martin said he has since apologized for the comments that prompted Miller's complaint. He said it wasn't his intent to offend Miller and that he has since tried to be more sensitive.

“Race is not an issue, absolutely not,” Martin said. “You can't be in this line of work and have race be an issue.”

Martin said he thought the complaint against him had been resolved when city employees were required to take sensitivity classes about two to three months ago.

Giulini said he took Miller's complaint seriously and immediately referred it to the city's Human Resources Department so an independent agency could investigate it.

Popp said the case was then referred to the city's affirmative action officer, Glenn M. Wilson. “I can only tell you that Glenn asked Peter Miller to meet with him and Peter never responded to the letter from Glenn,” Popp said.

Popp said the NAACP approached him to discuss the two issues involving Miller. “They were in here trying to settle both of them,” he said.

Coleman said the NAACP negotiated a settlement with Popp, but that the deal fell apart. Coleman said the city was willing to drop its investigation of the car damage if Miller would drop his complaint against Martin.

Giulini said he had no knowledge of a potential deal.

Phillips said he plans to ask state Attorney General Richard Blumenthal to conduct an independent investigation of the Groton city police. “There is an air of discriminatory acts there,” Phillips said, noting that the department's other black officer filed a complaint last year with the state CHRO.

The commission dismissed that complaint, saying there was “no reasonable possibility that investigating the complaint would result in a finding of reasonable cause” and the “complainant has not shown any adverse employment action, or that any of (the city's) decisions were motivated by his race and color.” 
 

© The Day Publishing Co., 2005
For home delivery, please call 1-866-846-9099