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

The previous cops chief in New Haven, Connecticut, was jailed Friday on larceny charges following accusations he took $85,000 from 2 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 press release. Jacobson faces two counts of larceny related to defrauding a public neighborhood.


"An allegation of embezzlement by a cops authorities is a major matter and possibly undermines public self-confidence in the criminal justice system," Chief State's Attorney Patrick J. Griffin stated in a statement.


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


"This is the start of a long procedure," he said in an emailed declaration. "I advise everybody to keep an open mind and avoid a rush to judgment."


Last month, New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker, when announcing Jacobson's retirement, stated the former chief admitted he took money from a city fund that compensates private informants for assisting cops resolve criminal offenses.


Elicker said the former chief acknowledged taking the funds for personal use when three of his deputies faced him over the monetary abnormalities. According to the arrest warrant, Jacobson told the deputies he was spending too much money on sports betting apps, was looking for assistance for a betting dependency and planned to change the money.


During the tape-recorded discussion, Jacobson said sorry 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 figured out that Jacobson wagered more than $4.4 million on his DraftKings and FanDuel accounts in 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 claims "shocking" during a Friday press conference and said Jacobson at first confessed taking $10,000 from just one cops account.


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


"It ´ s a very unfortunate day for the city to see a chief, who was precious by many people, apprehended for a theft of public money and likewise money that was meant for kids," Elicker said. Jacobson is implicated of likewise taking money from the authorities athletic league, which offers a variety of for the city's youth.


Jacobson had actually served for three years as cops chief in among Connecticut ´ s biggest cities, which is home to Yale University. He took office in July 2022, simply weeks after a Black male was disabled in the back of an authorities van in an event that roiled the police department and the city.


The state prosecutor's office said Friday the city of New Haven first reported the embezzlement allegations on Jan. 5, which prompted an investigation by the Connecticut State Police. The probe revealed $81,500 was unaccounted for or misused from the New Haven Police Department Narcotic Enforcement Fund between Jan. 1, 2024, and Jan. 5, 2026. Money from the fund is used to pay confidential informants who help in narcotics examinations.


"The offender had access to money because fund," according to a news release, which stated bank records showed checks related to the fund were transferred into Jacobson's individual checking account.


Two checks amounting to $4,000 were likewise withdrawn from the New Haven Police Activity League Fund between Dec. 23 and Dec. 24, 2025. The district attorney's office said both were found in Jacobson's personal account. Investigators said no one else at the cops 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 nine years.