Michael R. Ricci, a Connecticut arbitrator, requested the overturning of the suspension of Detective Angel Llanos, who was involved in the Lauren Smith-Fields’ death investigation.
The family of Smith-Fields explained to the New York Times how they had not only discovered her death the day after she died but also how they heard the troubling news from the landlord and not Bridgeport Police Department officials. Upon calling the detective’s number, which the landlord also gave to them, Fields said that the detective did not elucidate many details about the incident, except that she was on a date with an older man from Bumble before her death. The same detective informed them that the man from Bumble wasn’t a suspect because he was “a really nice guy.”
Despite the family’s horrible experience, Ricci claimed he wasn’t convinced the police department proved that a condition existed to justify Llano’s suspension.
“The union provided a persuasive argument that the grievant’s actions (or inaction) related to the December 12th (case) were no different than his actions with other similar cases,” Ricci wrote in a May 18 ruling.
Ricci also argued that there was no evidence Llanos violated death notification orders. Ricci also suggested Llanos get 12 hours of overtime opportunities to make up for the 16 weeks he was on leave and eight hours of overtime for each week until the city allows him to return to his job.
Mayor Joe Ganim released a video statement calling for not only Llanos’s leave but also for the officer involved in Brenda Lee Rawls’ death case, in which her family, too, claimed police did not notify them of their loved one’s death promptly.
The president of the Bridgeport Police Union/AFSCME Local 1159, Brad Seely, said that he agreed with Ricci’s decision to reverse the suspension, a Hartford Courant report stated.
“Arbitrator Ricci’s decision demonstrates Mayor Ganim acted inappropriately in ordering Detective Llanos, 33-year veteran with an impeccable career, to be placed on administrative leave for his response to the untimely and tragic death of Brenda Rawls,” Seely said in a written statement. “This was a clear case of the City denying an employee their rights under collective bargaining.”
