On Monday, two East Haven, Conn., police officers were found guilty of violating the civil rights violations of the town's Latino residents, reports CNN in a news report. East Haven boasts a growing number immigrants. A four-year federal investigation unearthed tensions in the town towards the new comers. Dennis Spaulding, 30, and David Cari, 36, were convicted of conspiring to violate and violating the civil rights of Latinos in East Haven. A press release from the U.S. Attorney of the District of Connecticut stated that the pair worked together to "injure, threaten and intimidate." The trial lasted a month and revealed that the officers made multiple unlawful arrests and used excessive force. Prosecutors then said the officers covered their tracks by filing false reports and blocking an investigation into their conduct.
In January 2012, Cari and Spaulding were arrested for racial profiling along with two other East Haven police officers, John Miller and Jason Zullo. The arrests came after a 2012 bad report from the Department of Justice, after an investigation that started in 2009 following the unlawful arrest of local pastor Rev. James Manship who tried to videotape officers arrested a Latino man. The federal report accused the town's police of "discriminatory policing against Latinos." Police Chief Leonard Gallo retired in February 2012 amid the controversy. It was also reported that Mayor Joseph Maturo Jr. was asked what he would do for the Latino community in East Haven after the arrests and he replied, "I might have tacos when I get home, I'm not quite sure yet." Miller and Zullo pleaded guilty to lesser charges and are awaiting sentencing.
In a statement Monday, the mayor said: "Today's verdict is a painful, although important step in the healing process for the town of East Haven and for the East Haven Police Department." The New York Times reports that Spaulding and Cari were in disbelief when they received the verdict from the jury. According to officer Spaulding's lawyer Frank J. Riccio, he plans to appeal the verdict. Cari's laywer, Alex V. Hernandez, said he would think about an appeal. The pair each face up to 20 years in prison. "This prosecution and the jury's swift and unambiguous verdict should send a very strong message that there is no place in law enforcement for anyone who abuses power or victimizes defenseless individuals," Acting U.S. Attorney Deirdre M. Daly said. "No one is above the law, and no one is beneath the law's protection."
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