a public defender

Oh boy. I’m never going to hear the end of this from clients

But seriously, the Hartford PD is being tight-lipped about an internal affairs investigation into two incidents of mishandling evidence.

[A]ccording to sources inside the department, detectives in the major crimes division got a search warrant to look for a gun at a home on Wadsworth Street. Inside the home, police found drugs and money, according to the source. When officers returned to headquarters, some of the money was missing, the source said.

Sources told Eyewitness News that the following day, one detective was told not to come to work. Two days later, the source said, he was reassigned within major crimes.

Chief Daryl K. Roberts said that another unrelated case of alleged evidence mishandling is under investigation within the booking department.

An attorney for the police union told Eyewitness News that the missing money was never recovered and that the union has not been officially contacted about either investigation.

I’m not sure Hartford needs this. What with the mysterious death of Carlos Alvarado and the scrutiny given the New Haven Police Department after the Billy White arrest, people aren’t very confident in the abilities of the police forces in cities.