HARTFORD, Conn. — Hartford officials and plaintiffs in a 1969 civil rights lawsuit against city police have agreed to extend federal oversight of the police department for another two years, in what may be one of the longest-running cases of its kind in the country.

The lawsuit in federal court filed by several black and Hispanic residents accused police of inflicting numerous acts of violence, intimidation and humiliation upon Hartford citizens based on their race and ethnicity. It was settled with a 1973 consent decree requiring police to improve how they treat the public and how they investigate citizen complaints against officers.

The decree, which is overseen by a federal judge, was set to expire Oct. 31 under a 2010 agreement to resolve remaining disputes between the plaintiffs and the city.

But the plaintiffs said the police department – despite having made many improvements – still is not meeting all the requirements of the decree and the 2010 agreement, including not hiring enough minority officers and not following protocol for internal affairs investigations. Lawyers for the city disagree.

The city council weighed in in August, passing a resolution asking a federal judge to continue the decree indefinitely until the racial makeup of the police department “substantially” mirrors that of the city and until the department is nationally accredited.

Police department records show nearly two-thirds of the 430-member force is white, while U.S. Census figures show that about 43 percent of city residents are Hispanic and nearly 39 percent are black.

Copy the Story Link