The City of Hartford has contracted with a company based out of New York City to conduct investigations for the city’s Civilian Police Review Board (CPRB), raising concerns from board chairman Eric Crawford over how effectively the contractor will be able to communicate with city residents and understand the community.
Hartford selected Integrated Security Systems (ISS), a private security and investigations company based in New York and with a satellite office in Stamford, following a competitive bidding process that saw ISS offer a bid of $60,000 — less than half the bid proposed by Hartford-based New Light Investigations, which has been handling CPRB investigations since 2019.
The investigation contractor serves as the board’s independent investigator, separate from the police department’s own internal affairs investigation. The contractor investigates the complaints filed by civilians against police officers and compiles a report, which is then submitted to board members and the city’s inspector general. The investigators or inspector general will then summarize their findings publicly during CPRB meetings and board members ultimately make their decisions…