Superior Court Rules In Hartford’s Favor, Officer’s Firing Upheld

Published on August 07, 2020

HARTFORD, CONN (August 7, 2020) – Yesterday a Connecticut Superior Court upheld the City of Hartford’s decision to fire former police officer Robert Lanza.  Mr. Lanza was fired in 2018 after an incident where he used racial slurs while he was being arrested for drunken driving off duty.  In May 2019, an arbitrator ruled that Mr. Lanza should be reinstated, and the City appealed that decision.  Yesterday’s decision by the Superior Court overturned the arbitrator’s decision and upheld the city’s firing of Mr. Lanza. 

“The Hartford Police Department was right to fire this officer two years ago, we’ve fought hard to make sure the firing stands, and we are relieved and gratified by the court’s decision yesterday,” said Mayor Luke Bronin.  “Mr. Lanza’s conduct was totally unbecoming of a police officer, and it’s important that we have the ability to send a strong message, both for the sake of our police force and for the sake of our community.  If we had been required to bring him back onto the force, it would have undermined the community’s trust in a profound way.  If there is a further appeal, we will continue to fight aggressively to ensure that this decision stands.” 

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