BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (WCBS 880) — Two police officers in Connecticut have been suspended while officials probe claims that they were racially insensitive towards two families during death investigations.
Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim ordered Sunday that both Detective Angel Llanos and Detective Kevin Cronin be placed on administrative leave while they are the “subject of a Bridgeport Police Office of Internal Affairs (OIA) Investigation and disciplinary action for lack of sensitivity to the public and failure to follow police policy.”
The controversy stems from two separate incidents involving the deaths of two Black women, 22-year-old Lauren Smith-Fields and 53-year-old Brenda Rawls.
According to authorities, Smith-Fields died on Dec. 12 from a combination of alcohol, fentanyl and antihistamines while she was with a man who she met on a dating app.
The man called police upon finding Smith-Fields unresponsive, but her family alleges they were never notified, and when they inquired about the investigation in her death, they said they were met with indifference.
Rawls' family claims they were also not notified about their loved one’s death until two days after. And when they contacted police for information on the investigation, they said they were met with insensitivity.
Rawls' cause of death has yet to be revealed, but her family said she died the same day as Smith-Fields after visiting a male acquaintance who reportedly lived just down the block from her home. That man was the one who notified police of Rawls' death.
Neither man in either death is currently facing any charges.
“I want to be clear to members of the public and to the department, disrespect in action and deviation from policy will not be tolerated by me,” said Ganim of the families' allegations.
In a statement released Sunday, Ganim added that he feels “very sorry” for both families but stressed that no further action would be taken until the investigations conclude.
“I as mayor, but also as a father, cannot fully comprehend what you must be going through,” he said. “I can only pledge my continued support to try to ease your pain by getting answers and holding those responsible accountable.”
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