The co-chairman of the state legislature's
judiciary committee wants a full review of allegations that a judge charged with
drunken driving last month angrily hurled epithets at police officers during her
arrest, called a black state police sergeant nigger and told officers she was a
state judge.
Judge E. Curtissa R. Cofield, 59, who is black, also
referred to state police Sgt. Dwight Washington as "Negro Washington" during her
Oct. 9 arrest — which was captured by police video recorders — Courant columnist
Kevin
Rennie, a lawyer and former state legislator, wrote in his column in
Sunday's Courant.
"Assuming it's true that she made those extremely
racist comments, that can't be tolerated — from a judge, of all people," state
Rep. Michael Lawlor, D-East Haven, said Monday.
Nothing was said of
Cofield's alleged conduct during her appearance Monday in Superior Court in
Manchester, where Judge William Bright Jr. delayed a decision on her application
to a pretrial alcohol-education program until Dec. 8. Those who are
admitted to and successfully complete the program, open only to first-time
offenders, will have their record of arrest wiped clean.
Bright said he wanted to give the prosecutor a chance to talk
to Trooper Michael Kowal, whose patrol car Cofield reportedly struck as she
drove her BMW east on Route 2 about 10:50 p.m. on Oct. 9. Bright said he
received an objection to Cofield's application from Kowal.
State police
initially reported that Kowal was not injured, but he is seeing a doctor as a
result of the crash, said Lt. J. Paul Vance, a state police spokesman.
Vance wouldn't comment on the allegations that Cofield made racist
comments. Cofield, her attorney, James Sulick, and the prosecutor handling
the case, John Whalen of the chief state's attorney's office, also declined to
comment.
Bright said he has received letters of support for Cofield —
about 40, according to Cofield's lawyer — and then heard glowing statements from
a prominent defense attorney and a clergyman in favor of approving Cofield's
application.
"Despite all the letters, I don't believe she should be
treated differently in this situation because she is a judge, whether it's
positive or negative," Bright said.
Lawlor said Bright should see the
video of Cofield's arrest. "At minimum, I would certainly expect that
under the circumstances the judge would review the videotape before deciding
whether Judge Cofield should be admitted to the program," Lawlor
said.
It's appropriate, Lawlor said, for the judge to consider an
applicant's demeanor during arrest and the injuries anyone suffered. "In
this particular case, the comments are troubling," he said. "Beneath the
surface there's more to the story than just someone who had too much to
drink."
Lawlor said he is exploring whether his committee, which oversees
the judicial branch and has the power to impeach a judge, will be able to view
the videotape.
"Our first preference would be to have the judicial branch
do the oversight," Lawlor said. "We have been in communication with them
to see what, if anything, will happen. We have received assurances there
will be some type of action taken at some point. Obviously, it's still a
pending case in court. We want to know the whole story."
The state
Judicial Review Council should also open an investigation, if it hasn't already,
Lawlor said.
The executive director and the chairman of the council said
Monday that they cannot say whether an investigation of Cofield has begun.
Such investigations remain secret unless the commission finds sufficient reason
to air them publicly.
According to a state police incident report,
Cofield drove her 2003 BMW X5 into Kowal's state cruiser, which was parked in
the right shoulder protecting a construction zone. Cofield was taken to
the Glastonbury police station for processing and was charged with driving under
the influence and failure to drive in the proper lane. Her comments were
captured on a video and audio monitoring system at the Glastonbury police
station.
The Courant filed a Freedom of Information request with
Glastonbury police for a copy of the video of Cofield's booking.
Glastonbury Police Chief Thomas J. Sweeney denied the request, and the newspaper
is appealing to the state FOI Commission.