Justice Department and Town of East Haven, Conn., Select Kathleen O’toole as Joint Compliance Expert for Police Reform Agreement

The Department of Justice Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut announced today, together with the town of East Haven, Conn., and the East Haven Board of Police Commissioners, they have selected Kathleen O’Toole as the Joint Compliance Expert (JCE) to assess and report on the implementation of a comprehensive settlement agreement to reform the East Haven Police Department (EHPD).  The district court approved the agreement on Dec. 21, 2012.

 

Under the agreement, the JCE will assist in determining whether the terms of the agreement have been fully and timely implemented.   The JCE’s assessment will include a thorough review of EHPD’s policies, training curricula, standard operating procedures, plans, protocols and other operational documents related to the agreement.   The JCE will also assess whether the implementation of the agreement is resulting in constitutional policing, increased community trust, and the professional treatment of individuals by EHPD officers.  

 

Following a joint review that included multiple candidates, the parties selected Ms. O’Toole to serve as JCE.   She brings extensive policing experience and a collaborative compliance framework that will assist the parties, the court, and other stakeholders to evaluate the implementation of critical reforms by EHPD.   Ms. O’Toole is an internationally-recognized leader in the law enforcement field and recently completed a six-year term as Chief Inspector of the Garda Síochána Inspectorate, an oversight body responsible for bringing reform, best practice, and accountability to the Irish national police service.   Previously, she worked her way up the ranks of the Boston Police Department, beginning as a patrol officer and eventually serving as Boston Police Commissioner.   Ms. O’Toole also served as Massachusetts Secretary of Public Safety.   Ms. O’Toole intends to hire several other police experts to assist her in assessing compliance with the agreement.   She will begin her work as JCE immediately.

 

“We are pleased to have worked collaboratively with the town to select Ms. O’Toole, who we believe is uniquely positioned to assess and report on the East Haven Police Department’s reform efforts,” said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division.  “We look forward to working together with Ms. O’Toole and the town to ensure effective and constitutional policing by the East Haven Police Department.”

 

U.S. Attorney David Fein commented, “I am pleased that the joint selection of Kathleen O’Toole as the Joint Compliance Expert will now allow the real work to begin on the implementation of the settlement agreement approved by the court.”