Former Connecticut Police Chief Arrested Over Alleged $85,000 Theft

The previous authorities chief in New Haven, Connecticut, was arrested 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 released on a court-set bond of $150,000, a state prosecutor said in a news release. Jacobson deals with 2 counts of larceny associated to defrauding a public community.


"An accusation of embezzlement by a cops authorities is a serious matter and potentially undermines public confidence in the criminal justice system," Chief State's Attorney Patrick J. Griffin said in a declaration.


Jacobson's attorney, Gregory Cerritelli, stated he could not react to the specific accusations yet but reminded the general public that "an arrest is not evidence of guilt and accusations are not evidence."


"This is the beginning of a long process," he stated in an emailed statement. "I advise everybody to keep an open mind and prevent a rush to judgment."


Last month, New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker, when revealing Jacobson's retirement, said the previous chief admitted he took money from a city fund that compensates private informants for assisting cops fix crimes.


Elicker said the previous chief acknowledged taking the funds for individual use when 3 of his deputies challenged him over the financial irregularities. According to the arrest warrant, Jacobson told the deputies he was investing excessive cash on sports wagering apps, was seeking aid for a betting dependency and meant to change the cash.


During the recorded conversation, Jacobson asked forgiveness and asked the deputies "for an opportunity to conserve myself" so he might avoid going to prison and losing his pension, according to the warrant.


Investigators figured out 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 however lost more than $214,000. Jacobson made $180,000 a year as police chief.


The mayor called the claims "shocking" throughout a Friday news conference and stated Jacobson initially admitted taking $10,000 from only one authorities account.


"We didn't know how deep this went," Elicker said, noting the case remains under examination.


"It ´ s a really sad day for the city to see a chief, who was cherished by numerous individuals, detained for a theft of public cash and also money that was meant for kids," Elicker stated. Jacobson is accused of also taking cash from the authorities athletic league, which offers a variety of programs for the city's youth.


Jacobson had actually served for 3 years as authorities chief in one of Connecticut ´ s biggest cities, which is home to Yale University. He took office in July 2022, simply weeks after a Black guy was disabled in the back of a paddy wagon in an incident that roiled the authorities department and the city.


The state district attorney's workplace stated Friday the city of New Haven initially reported the embezzlement claims on Jan. 5, which triggered an investigation by the Connecticut State Police. The probe exposed $81,500 was unaccounted for or misappropriated from the New Haven Police Department Narcotic between Jan. 1, 2024, and Jan. 5, 2026. Money from the fund is utilized to pay private informants who help in narcotics investigations.


"The accused had access to money in that fund," according to a news release, which said bank records revealed checks associated with the fund were deposited into Jacobson's personal monitoring account.


Two checks totaling $4,000 were likewise withdrawn from the New Haven Police Activity League Fund between Dec. 23 and Dec. 24, 2025. The prosecutor's workplace said both were discovered in Jacobson's personal account. Investigators said no one else at the police department was associated with 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 9 years.