New Haven Police Chief Karl Jacobson abruptly retired Monday after Mayor Justin Elicker said the city received allegations that Jacobson stole money from an account used to compensate confidential informants.
In a statement Elicker made Monday, the mayor said Jacobson admitted he took funds for personal use when three deputies confronted him over financial irregularities earlier that day. Elicker described the allegations as “shocking” and a “betrayal of public trust.”
Elicker said he had planned to meet with Jacobson and place him on administrative leave, but instead Jacobson submitted his retirement paperwork effective Monday. Jacobson, who has served as police chief for more than three years, did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment Monday.
The mayor said officials were cooperating with state investigators looking into the matter. Elicker also said it was unclear how much money Jacobson had taken and for how long, and he said it did not appear that other people were involved.
Elicker said he had tapped Assistant Police Chief David Zannelli, who was among the officers involved in the Monday confrontation, to serve as interim chief. The appointment places Zannelli in charge as the city and state investigators assess what happened to the informants’ compensation funds.
The retirement adds to a period of scrutiny for the New Haven Police Department. Jacobson took office in July 2022, weeks after an incident involving Richard “Randy” Cox that roiled the department and the city, according to the mayor’s account.
Elicker said five officers were arrested in connection with the mistreatment of Cox, who suffered a neck injury and was left paralyzed from the chest down. In that case, the police van with no seat belts braked hard to avoid an accident, and Cox was sent flying into a metal partition, Elicker said.
Jacobson recommended firing four of the officers, and the city’s police commissioners terminated them; a fifth officer retired before being disciplined, Elicker said. One of the fired officers later won his job back after an appeal, the mayor added.
Jacobson had been with the department for 15 years before being named chief. Before joining New Haven, he served in the East Providence Police Department in Rhode Island for nine years.