The majority of the Hartford Police Department’s detective bureau is under investigation this week after it was revealed Friday one detective shared a message with colleagues proposing a so-called “dead pool” for the group to wager on the location of the capital city’s first murder of 2021.
Detective Jeffrey Placzek, the 16-year veteran of the department who proposed the wager in a group text to his colleagues last week, faces demotion and four months of unpaid leave in a discipline recommendation handed down Monday by Police Chief Jason Thody.
Sixteen other members of the 26-person division, including the lieutenant and two sergeants who lead it, also are now under investigation for how they did or did not respond to the “appalling” bet, Thody said.
Lt. Paul Cicero, the head of the detectives in the Major Crimes Division and face of the department as its public information officer, also has been reassigned to lead the detention division and temporarily replaced as department spokesman pending the outcome of that investigation, Thody added.
“When I read this text message, I was disgusted, angry, and disappointed,” Thody said in a statement. “The idea that one of our detectives would discuss betting in any way on a tragedy is appalling. I have heard from many members of our community who are distraught about this, and I want them to know that I share their anger.
“I am also taking this action to demonstrate to everyone in our department that, as professional police officers, even on our worst days, and no matter how many difficult and painful things we see every day, we must maintain the high standards of conduct that our community rightly expects of us – the most important of which is a deep and fundamental respect for every single person we serve in this community.”
The existence of the proposed “Major Crimes Dead Pool” was revealed Friday and immediately caused a firestorm, drawing condemnation from local activists, community leaders and top city officials alike after months of reckoning about policing in Connecticut and nationwide this summer.
Over the weekend, a number of city council members reacted to the wager with concern and disgust, with Council President Maly Rosado saying that gambling on the life and death of Hartford residents is “a heinous breach of any possible trust and faith our community can and should have” in Hartford police. Rosado and her fellow council Democrats released a statement Saturday that argued the betting pool was troubling evidence that some officers feel superior to the communities they serve.
The proposed wager was sent last Wednesday to 19 people, including members of the department’s detective bureau and at least two court staff members, asking participants to pay $20 for a “pin” to mark a location on a map of Hartford where they predict the first murder would occur after the New Year. Whoever guessed closest to the actual eventual location of the first murder would win the pool of money.
Thody did not learn of the message until Friday, however, when Cicero approached him to report its contents, Thody said. Thody determined the message was sent by Placzek and immediately notified him he would be reassigned and disciplined.
But the two-day delay between when the text was received by the majority of the detective bureau and when department leadership learned of it raises red flags about the recipients’ actions — or inaction — after receiving something so obviously inappropriate, Thody said Monday.
“It wasn’t immediately apparent to me that it was two days earlier,” Thody said. “If that conversation had happened on Wednesday, that would have been different, you know, ‘I immediately recognized it’s wrong and I’m going to tell the chief.’ “
The department is still determining who received the text message, which was sent to personal cell phone numbers and not work devices, and is investigating whether any recipient of the text responded either in person or in some other message, Thody said. Only one person responded to the original group message with “Ty,” an abbreviation for “thank you.”
Hartford State’s Attorney Sharmese L. Walcott confirmed Monday that two members of her office received the text message but said they did not participate.
“I intend to review the final results of the Hartford Police Department’s investigation into this matter as it pertains to this office,” she said. “This office continues to keep its focus on seeking justice for those victimized by crime and working with law enforcement officials to keep our communities safe.”
Placzek, a 16-year veteran of the force, has been reassigned to an administrative post within the department until he decides whether to accept the punishment or challenge it under the union’s rules, which he is expected to do. The department would then hold a hearing to determine whether Thody’s recommended punishment will be upheld.
During Placzek’s suspension, he would be required to undergo a community training regimen with local groups that work with victims of crimes. He then would have to pass a fitness for duty evaluation before he can return to service as an officer.
Placzek has only been disciplined once before, earlier this year, when he reported he broke the button to the elevator in the department’s main lobby by pressing it with his foot, Thody said.
Despite the swift response to punish Placzek, city officials called on Thody to punish any supervisor who knew of the proposed wager and did not immediately report it to their superiors.
“The officer who sent this message demonstrated a profound disrespect for our community and a deeply troubling lack of judgment,” Mayor Luke Bronin said Monday. “Chief Thody has imposed serious discipline … and I expect that additional discipline will be coming for supervisors who received this message and failed to take action.”
City council members echoed the same concerns, underscoring both the damage the scandal does to public trust in the department and the potential “culture problem” it highlights.
“Enough is enough,” council member Shirley Surgeon, who is Black, said in the Democrats’ statement on Saturday. “When a cop in charge of murders wants to bet on murders, I, for the first time, feel that this police department can’t be counted on to truly serve and protect the people who look like me.”
Staff writer Rebecca Lurye contributed to this report.
Zach Murdock can be reached at zmurdock@courant.com.
