The Connecticut police department under fire for insufficient investigations into the deaths of two Black women has a history of excessive use-of-force and discrimination complaints — some from its own officers. Now, a flurry of social media attention that started with the death of one of those women, Lauren Smith-Fields, has reignited calls for federal oversight of the department.
Since 2017, at least 14 people have filed complaints or lawsuits accusing the Bridgeport Police Department of civil rights violations, including excessive force and racial discrimination. Black officers — including two Black captains who filed lawsuits, sparking an independent probe — have accused the department of a racist and hostile work environment. A former captain resigned in 2018 after texts emerged in which he called an annual Juneteenth celebration an n-word parade. Allegations of police brutality have cost the city millions of dollars in the last two years, according to City Council member Maria Pereira, who represents the district where the two women died.