Lucas Holter

New Haven Police Chief Karl Jacobson has cleared two officers accused of misconduct in their response to an alder-involved car crash two years ago.

On Feb. 26, 2023, Sal DeCola, who represents Morris Cove’s Ward 18 on the Board of Alders, struck and damaged an empty parked Jeep with his own vehicle and left the scene without stopping. After DeCola was identified, NHPD Officer Mark Salvati and his supervisor Lieutenant Brian McDermott helped exchange DeCola’s insurance information with Julie Ferrucci, the car’s owner, but the alder was not charged for the incident at the time. DeCola told the New Haven Independent later that year that he was experiencing a “medical incident” at the time.

In fall 2023, six months after the accident, Ferrucci sued DeCola and the two officers and filed three complaints with the police department, alleging that Salvati and McDermott showed preferential treatment to DeCola because of his elected position. 

This month, on March 10, the police department closed its internal investigation into the officers conduct, concluding that the two officers’ actions were justified and lawful. 

The conclusion of the investigation defies recommendations sent to Jacobson from members of New Haven’s Civilian Review Board, who opined that the officers violated department orders by not completing an official police report, according to recommendations the board’s chair shared with the News. The board also requested that more time be allotted to the investigation. 

Hit-and-run prompts belated reaction

Ferrucci’s complaint alleged that the responding officers did not complete a police report on the car crash because of DeCola’s position on the Board of Alders, according to a summary of the case provided by the police department’s Internal Affairs unit after the case was closed.

Per the case summary, Officer Salvati spoke to witnesses and took notes at the scene when responding to Ferrucci’s call, but was not immediately able to get video footage of the crash. At the time, Salvati did not write an official police report, but gave Ferrucci his contact information to use if she later found more details on the accident.

Less than a week later, Ferrucci contacted Salvati with DeCola’s name. Salvati then advised McDermott, his supervisor, of DeCola’s identity. According to NHPD Lieutenant Michael Fumiatti, notifying a supervisor when an incident involves a city government official is part of the police department’s “chain of command.”

On the same day that Salvati told McDermott about DeCola’s suspected role in the crash, DeCola contacted McDermott and told him he had been in an accident but left the scene, according to the case summary. According to NHPD Chief Karl Jacobson, McDermott then confused when the crash had happened, believing DeCola had come forward only hours after the accident. 

McDermott then contacted Ferrucci and provided her with DeCola’s insurance information to file a claim. 

Jacobson told the New Haven Independent that McDermott’s belief that providing Ferrucci with the insurance information would resolve the incident was justified, because no injuries occurred and because of the lieutenant’s mistaken belief about the timing of the crash.

Ferrucci declined to press charges at the time, according to the Internal Affairs investigation. She filed a first complaint with the New Haven Police Department on Sept. 1, 2023, and her attorney filed two more on her behalf on Oct. 19 and Nov. 7, 2023.

About a year after the accident, while the internal investigation into Ferrucci’s complaints was ongoing, Jacobson requested that DeCola receive a misdemeanor ticket for leaving the scene of a crash, the chief told the Independent.

Civilian Review Board shares concerns with chief

After reviewing reports, interviews and body-worn camera footage, the NHPD’s Internal Affairs unit concluded that Salvati and McDermott had acted properly when responding to the accident.

But in its monthly letter of recommendations to the police chief, New Haven’s civilian review board communicated its belief that the officers involved violated department orders by not writing a police report after evading was reported, and failing to fully investigate the crash. The board recommended that the chief should further investigate the case. Although the police chief reviews the board’s recommendations before closing an internal investigation, the recommendations are not binding.

In its recommendations, the board referenced the police department’s General Order 10.01.03, which states that completing reports is “generally” required for every incident responded to by a sworn officer, except in certain cases. Incident reports are only required for accidents when an additional felony or misdemeanor — like evading — is suspected.

Jacobson read the board’s recommendations before finally deciding to close the case and exonerate the involved officers. He has not yet replied to the board regarding the case.

At Monday’s Civilian Review Board meeting, NHPD’s Lieutenant Fumiatti presented a summary of the closed case on behalf of the Internal Affairs unit.

After his presentation, civilian review board member Jane Comins asked the officer whether the department had implemented any changes in policy given that the case “caused such an outroar” in the city. In response, Fumiatti maintained that Salvati and McDermott acted correctly according to protocol, and told Comins that the department did not change any policies in the wake of the accident.

“I think more needs to be done so that an incident like this doesn’t happen again,” Comins said, in response. “Our publicly elected officials probably need to be held to a higher level than many of us are, but that’s just my opinion.”

Lawsuit against DeCola continues

Ferrucci filed a lawsuit against DeCola, Salvati and McDermott on Oct. 20, 2023, 18 days before voters in Ward 18 would vote to reelect DeCola in a competitive race. In the initial complaint, Ferrucci accused DeCola of driving under the influence of alcohol — which DeCola has denied — damaging her car and fleeing the scene. She also accused Salvati and McDermott of giving DeCola preferential treatment due to his government position. In May 2024, Ferrucci dropped her claims against the two officers, but her suit against DeCola is still pending.

In January, DeCola’s attorneys asked the judge to resolve the case without a trial, citing an alleged lack of legal basis to Ferrucci’s claims, and pointing out that Ferrucci had already been compensated by DeCola’s car insurance carrier. 

Through insurance, Ferrucci received just under $13,000 in compensation when her damaged car was deemed a total loss. However, she wrote in a December 2024 interrogatory that the cost of buying a new car and insurance exceeded $30,000. The case is still pending, with the next hearing scheduled for May.

DeCola was reelected to the Board of Alders in 2023, winning 41.2 percent of the vote in the tight three-way race.