WFSB Channel 3FBI arrests 4 East Haven officers

FBI arrests 4 East Haven officers

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has arrested four East Haven Police officers in connection to an investigation into alleged racial profiling.

The arrests were made early Tuesday morning at the police department and at the officer's homes.

Those arrested included Sgt. John Miller and officers David Cari, Dennis Spaulding and Jason Zullo. According to the indictment, Miller often supervised the 4 p.m. to 12 a.m. shift, and Cari, Spaulding and Zullo all worked that shift.

The indictment stated that all four of the officers used unreasonable searches and seizures and used unreasonable force and concealed their actions and that Miller, who also runs the police union for the department, was the leader of the concerted effort to target Latinos.

The indictment has several detailed accounts including one where Zullo, who was on a two-way radio, said he "likes harassing motorists... persons who have drifted to this country on rafts made of chicken wings."

Officials said two of the officers were arrested and the police department and the other two were arrested at their homes.

All of the arrested officers appeared in court on Tuesday afternoon.

The U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights division recently announced findings that the East Haven Police department as a whole was violating people's civil rights. 

There are several civil lawsuits also filed against the individual officers. One of the high-profile incidents involves Father James Manship, who was arrested by two of the officers charged on Tuesday when he was videotaping what he called Latino business owner harassment.

East Haven Mayor Joseph Maturo said he is standing by his police officers and that everyone is innocent until proven guilty.

Jeff Matchett, the director of Council 15, AFSCME, the union representing the four police officers issued a statement saying: "On behalf of the 4,000 Connecticut Police officers represented by the Connecticut Council of Police Unions, we stand in solidarity today with our brothers and sisters of the East Haven Police Department, and the entire Connecticut police community."

Refresh this page and watch Eyewitness News starting at 5 p.m. for updates on this story.

Copyright 2012 WFSB (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved.