Against a backdrop of allegations of racial profiling against the East Haven Police Department (EHPD) and its top officials and an ongoing Department of Justice investigation into department policy, East Haven Mayor April Capone Almon this morning estayed ahead of the rumor mill by explaining that a current increase in local activity by federal investigators is not aimed at the EHPD as a whole. The mayor’s comments are below; Zip06.com will post updates as the story develops.

Statement from the Office of Mayor April Capone Almon

“This morning I was informed by Acting East Haven Police Chief Gaetano Nappi that a Federal Task Force consisting of Federal Bureau of Investigation agents from New York and Washington D.C. were present in the town of East Haven to conduct an investigation of certain members of the East Haven Police Department. I want to emphasis that I have been told by the FBI that this is NOT an investigation of the East Haven Police Department. Rather it is an investigation of certain members of the Department.

“I am told that the task force is attempting to interview members of the department as part of an ongoing criminal investigation that began approximately two months ago.

“Any allegations, civil or criminal, leveled against the Police Department or, in particular, certain members of the department are unproven until they are proven to be true.

“My administration has fully cooperated with the United States Department of Justice in the past in its civil investigation of the department and its members and I will continue to lend assistance to the Federal Task Force in its on-going criminal investigation. Again, I wish to make this clear that this criminal investigation is directed against individuals of the Department and not the Department as a whole. I also want to stress that in this great country everyone is innocent until proven guilty.

“Until this is resolved, I am confident that the department will continue to provide the citizens of East Haven with the fine level of service that it has always provided.

“If you have any information that you would like to share with the FBI, you can contact their New Haven office at 203-777-6311.”