CT state police employee under investigation for derogatory email, agency says

The state Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection is investigating an incident involving an employee who allegedly sent an internal email containing a derogatory term and the word “Jews” in the subject line, officials said Friday.

An executive assistant sent the email Wednesday to the agency’s equal opportunities officer and a state police colonel to discuss an upcoming interview with a job candidate, said Brian Foley, spokesperson for DESPP Commissioner James Rovella.

Foley said “the body of the email was entirely related to the interview,” but the subject line contained a derogatory term and the word “Jews.”

One of the recipients of the email notified the employee about the language, Foley said. When the employee realized what happened, the person “immediately said it must have been an auto-correct and he meant to type ‘interview,’” Foley said.

The employee apologized to the recipients, notified Rovella and requested an IT review to determine how the incident happened and how to prevent it in the future, Foley said.

“Regardless of the source, we are aware of how painful and frightening these words can be,” Foley said. “As a result, and at the request of the employee who sent the email as well as the order of the commissioner, we have initiated an investigation.”

Foley said the agency has also notified the Greater Hartford Jewish Federation and the American Defense League “to make them aware of the incident and the investigation.”

Hearst Connecticut Media Group has filed a public records request for the email and any documents pertaining to the investigation.

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