Former Connecticut Police Chief Arrested Over Alleged $85,000 Theft
The former authorities chief in New Haven, Connecticut, was apprehended Friday on larceny charges following accusations he stole $85,000 from 2 department accounts.
Karl Jacobson, 56, who quickly retired from the department in January, turned himself in on an arrest warrant. He was later released on a court-set bond of $150,000, a state district attorney stated in a press release. Jacobson deals with two counts of larceny related to defrauding a public community.
"An allegation of embezzlement by a cops official is a serious matter and possibly undermines public self-confidence in the criminal justice system," Chief State's Attorney Patrick J. Griffin said in a statement.
Jacobson's attorney, Gregory Cerritelli, stated he might not react to the specific claims yet however advised the public that "an arrest is not proof of regret and claims are not evidence."
"This is the beginning of a really long procedure," he stated in an emailed statement. "I urge everybody to keep an open mind and prevent a rush to judgment."
Last month, New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker, when announcing Jacobson's retirement, stated the former chief confessed he took money from a city fund that compensates personal informants for helping authorities fix crimes.
Elicker said the former chief acknowledged taking the funds for personal use when three of his deputies confronted him over the monetary abnormalities. According to the arrest warrant, Jacobson told the deputies he was investing too much cash on sports betting apps, was looking for assistance for a gaming dependency and meant to replace the cash.
During the taped discussion, Jacobson apologized and asked the deputies "for a chance to save myself" so he could prevent going to jail and losing his pension, according to the warrant.
Investigators identified that Jacobson bet more than $4.4 million on his DraftKings and FanDuel accounts in between Jan. 1, 2025, and Jan. 5, 2026. He won more than $4.2 million but lost more than $214,000. Jacobson earned $180,000 a year as authorities chief.
The mayor called the allegations "stunning" throughout a Friday news conference and stated Jacobson at first admitted taking $10,000 from just one cops account.
"We didn't understand how deep this went," Elicker said, keeping in mind the case remains under investigation.
"It ´ s an extremely sad day for the city to see a chief, who was cherished by numerous people, detained for a theft of public money and also cash that was planned for children," Elicker stated. Jacobson is implicated of also taking cash from the authorities athletic league, which supplies a series of programs for the city's youth.
Jacobson had served for 3 years as authorities chief in among ´ s largest cities, which is home to Yale University. He took office in July 2022, simply weeks after a Black guy was incapacitated in the back of an authorities van in an occurrence that roiled the authorities department and the city.
The state district attorney's workplace stated Friday the city of New Haven initially reported the embezzlement claims on Jan. 5, which triggered an investigation by the Connecticut State Police. The probe exposed $81,500 was unaccounted for or abused from the New Haven Police Department Narcotic Enforcement Fund between Jan. 1, 2024, and Jan. 5, 2026. Money from the fund is used to pay confidential informants who assist in narcotics examinations.
"The offender had access to money in that fund," according to a press release, which said bank records revealed checks related to the fund were transferred into Jacobson's individual bank account.
Two checks totaling $4,000 were likewise withdrawn from the New Haven Police Activity League Fund in between Dec. 23 and Dec. 24, 2025. The prosecutor's workplace stated both were discovered in Jacobson's individual account. Investigators said no one else at the authorities department was included in the matter.
Jacobson had actually been with the department for 15 years before being called chief. He previously served in the East Providence Police Department in Rhode Island for 9 years.