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HARTFORD, Conn. (WFSB) — Hartford police are investigating a video that surfaced of a police officer reportedly saying he was “a little trigger happy.”
The video surfaced on Facebook overnight.
During a field interview, Hartford officer Sgt. Stephen Barrone was recorded telling a group that they would be checked for drugs and weapons, and if they tried to run away, he said was “a little trigger happy, I’m not going to lie.”
The officer went on to say “he didn’t want to have to shoot somebody if they did flee or fight, so they shouldn’t ‘do anything stupid’.”
It is unclear at this time where exactly the video was taken and where the incident happened.
Hartford police said Barrone was placed on administrative leave while an investigation continues.
“Regardless of the context or the intent, those statements are entirely unacceptable and represent a fundamental disregard for the conduct we expect and the standards we hold ourselves to. We look at it from the perspective of the person on the other end of the field interview, and to hear those words isn’t just scary, it projects an image of law enforcement officers who take use of force lightly. As I hope you know, we do not take any use of force lightly as a Department,” Hartford’s Assistant Police Chief Rafael Medina said.
His statement goes on to say “The Hartford Police Department has worked closely with many of you to build a stronger relationship with the community based on respect and trust. The ties we have built are our most valuable asset in serving the community, and incidents like this do not represent the department we strive to be, the relationship of trust we’ve worked to build, or the work we do in our community on a daily basis. We are committed to true community policing and true community partnership, and in this case that means being fully transparent and direct about this incident.”
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