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New Haven Police Chief Karl Jacobson recommended on Friday, Aug. 26, the termination of Sgt. Shayna Kendall after an internal affairs investigation was completed and was found to have violated numerous department policies.
The investigation was reviewed by the Civilian Review Board who agreed with Jacobson’s recommendation and it ultimately went in front of the Board of Police Commissioners on Thursday, Aug. 25, who voted to terminate Kendall.
“It is unfortunate that these events took place and that I had to recommend the termination of a Sergeant from our department, but I am committed to the people of New Haven and to the procedural justice that I hope will build a better bond between our officers and the community," Jacobson said.
The termination stems from an incident on Thursday, July 8, 2021, incident where a resident claimed she was harassed by Kendall following a simple beep of a horn at a traffic light.
During the incident, Kendall was off duty, in an unmarked car, and not in uniform, an 86-page report said.
The woman told officers she was behind Kendall at a stop light and when the light turned green Kendall did not proceed so the woman beeped her horn, the report said.
A few minutes later, the woman noticed that Kendall had made a U-turn and pulled up behind her with flashing lights.
In the investigative report, Kendall told the woman “you are detained,” when she stopped her. According to the report, the woman said she was "harassed and abused," by Kendall in a "road rage" type of incident.
In the report, investigators found that during the stop, Kendall did not identify herself, did not have a body camera, and failed to report the stop when she clocked into work.
The report also said Kendall provided "untruthful" and inaccurate answers during the investigation.
Kendall is a former spokesperson for the department and served as the deputy commander of training at the New Haven Police Academy.
Click here to read the report.
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