Former Connecticut Police Chief Arrested Over Alleged $85,000 Theft
The former police chief in New Haven, Connecticut, was detained Friday on larceny charges following claims he took $85,000 from two department accounts.
Karl Jacobson, 56, who abruptly retired from the department in January, turned himself in on an arrest warrant. He was later on launched on a court-set bond of $150,000, a state prosecutor said in a news release. Jacobson faces 2 counts of larceny related to defrauding a public neighborhood.
"An allegation of embezzlement by a cops official is a major matter and potentially undermines public confidence in the criminal justice system," Chief State's Attorney Patrick J. Griffin said in a statement.
Jacobson's legal representative, Gregory Cerritelli, said he could not react to the particular claims yet but the public that "an arrest is not proof of regret and allegations are not evidence."
"This is the beginning of an extremely long process," he said in an emailed declaration. "I urge everyone to keep an open mind and avoid a rush to judgment."
Last month, New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker, when announcing Jacobson's retirement, said the former chief admitted he took money from a city fund that compensates personal informants for helping police fix crimes.
Elicker said the former chief acknowledged taking the funds for personal use when three of his deputies faced him over the monetary irregularities. According to the arrest warrant, Jacobson told the deputies he was investing too much money on sports betting apps, was seeking help for a betting addiction and meant to change the cash.
During the recorded discussion, Jacobson asked forgiveness and asked the deputies "for an opportunity to save myself" so he might prevent going to prison and losing his pension, according to the warrant.
Investigators determined that Jacobson bet more than $4.4 million on his DraftKings and FanDuel accounts between Jan. 1, 2025, and Jan. 5, 2026. He won more than $4.2 million but lost more than $214,000. Jacobson made $180,000 a year as authorities chief.
The mayor called the allegations "stunning" throughout a Friday press conference and stated Jacobson at first admitted taking $10,000 from only one cops account.
"We didn't understand how deep this went," Elicker said, noting the case remains under investigation.
"It ´ s an extremely sad day for the city to see a chief, who was cherished by many people, arrested for a theft of public money and also money that was intended for children," Elicker stated. Jacobson is implicated of likewise taking cash from the police athletic league, which offers a variety of programs for the city's youth.
Jacobson had actually served for 3 years as police chief in among Connecticut ´ s biggest cities, which is home to Yale University. He took office in July 2022, just weeks after a Black man was paralyzed in the back of an authorities van in an occurrence that roiled the police department and the city.
The state district attorney's workplace said Friday the city of New Haven first reported the embezzlement accusations 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 in between Jan. 1, 2024, and Jan. 5, 2026. Money from the fund is used to pay private informants who help in narcotics investigations.
"The offender had access to money in that fund," according to a press release, which stated bank records revealed checks connected with the fund were deposited into Jacobson's individual bank account.
Two checks totaling $4,000 were also withdrawn from the New Haven Police Activity League Fund in between Dec. 23 and Dec. 24, 2025. The district attorney's office said both were discovered in Jacobson's personal account. Investigators stated no one else at the cops department was included in the matter.
Jacobson had been with the department for 15 years before being called chief. He previously served in the East Providence Police Department in Rhode Island for nine years.