[CT] Lt. Freeman & Officer Malley's domestic violence history revealed during investigation

EAST HARTFORD

In the investigation that found Lt. Lisa Freeman guilty of sexual harassment of K9 Officer Jay Malley it was discovered that the two had a domestic violence history with one another. They had a bloody physical fight in 2005, another bloody fight in 2006, and another full physical fight at the beginning of 2007. In the video below the president of the East Hartford Police Union, Mike Weglarz, says that he's happy they both get to keep their jobs. He says in the video that "it could have been worse." Freeman worked for Newington Police before she came to East Hartford, and and the video also addresses her leaving there due to a DUI - though nothing is on record.

Report Cites Secret Affair
2 On Police Force Ended Up Fighting
The Hartford Courant
By DAN UHLINGER
December 12, 2007
[EXCERPTS] A former head of police internal affairs and another officer had a secret relationship that degenerated into threats, fights at bars and a strip club and accusations of racial and sexual bigotry and bias, a police report shows. Officer Lisa Freeman, a 13-year veteran who headed internal affairs from June 2005 to February 2006, and Officer Jay Malley, a K-9 officer, have been disciplined for violating police department policies in connection with the incidents. Freeman, 40, was demoted Nov. 27 from lieutenant to officer and received a one-week suspension without pay... Malley, 38, who was hired in 2000, kept his position as a K-9 officer but was given a two-week unpaid suspension, which he is serving until the end of this week... According to the report, the investigation of the two officers was begun in August after Malley filed a sexual harassment complaint against Freeman... The report was redacted extensively... Sources with knowledge of the Freeman investigation said [Lt. Lisa] Freeman, who is married to William Freeman, a sergeant in the Windsor Police Department, had a five-year affair with [K9 Officer Jay] Malley, who is unmarried... Investigators found that on Sept. 12, 2006, Freeman and Malley got into an argument at a bar... "The next thing that [Malley] knew, he was seeing stars and that he had blood pouring down his face and left eye" the report said... Freeman claimed that "Officer Malley suddenly did a leg sweep on her, forcefully taking her to the ground and that he began choking her... About a year before that incident, Malley said he and Freeman got into another argument at a bar in Stafford and Freeman "split my head" the report said. Malley told investigators Freeman hit him with an unknown object and the two wound up on the floor fighting. State police investigated the incident as a domestic case but no charges were filed... On Feb. 9, another fight erupted at Freeman's home, the report said. Malley said Freeman punched, slapped and kicked him before he left the house. Freeman said Malley shoved her to the ground in her driveway. On Aug. 10 at Kahoots, Freeman and Malley got into another argument in front of patrons and a bartender... The details of the issue were redacted...
[Full article CACHED here]

Documents Detail Police Misconduct Case
Lieutenant Demoted After Internal Investigation
WFSB
December 11, 2007
...The documents were released a week after now-former Lt. Lisa Freeman's punishment was revealed. Freeman was disciplined in part because she threatened another officer at different times during her five-year affair with him, according to the documents... threatened to have the officer fired, have his police K-9 taken away or have him undergo a competency evaluation after he said he was going to discuss the affair with the department. According to the documents, Freeman was overheard by another officer on a speakerphone threatening, "I'll go upstairs and do whatever it takes. I'm going to lie. My job is to eliminate guys like you. Don't be surprised if, come Monday morning, you lose your dog." The department determined that Freeman did sexually harass the officer even though she claimed the conversation was taken out of context...
[Full article here]

Internal report details officers' relationship
By Ben Rubin, Journal Inquirer
12/11/2007
...The investigation opened Aug. 20, after canine Officer Jay Malley, 38, filed a sexual harassment complaint against then-Lt. Lisa Freeman, 40. The two were engaged in a five-year affair; she was married and he was not. The two officers agreed to settlements with the town about two weeks ago. Freeman was demoted to an officer and suspended without pay for a week for findings of sexual harassment, poor conduct, and disrespect to a subordinate. Malley was suspended without pay for two weeks for poor conduct.... The public report was heavily redacted, with entire paragraphs blacked out by the town's lawyers and three full pages of sexual harassment findings redacted. One page titled "Sexual Conduct - On Duty" is completely redacted... Investigators found that she {Freeman] committed quid pro quo sexual harassment against Malley... Freeman argued in the report that she was set up and her statements were taken out of context... Malley - who often described Freeman as irascible - said Freeman hit him over the head with an object, causing a gash. Freeman accused Malley of taking her to the ground and choking her, so she struck back. The state police were tangentially involved in the incident, calling Malley on his cell phone after the fight to see if he was all right. In their settlements, both officers were cited for the incident for poor conduct... The report was completed by Beau Thurnauer, the head of internal affairs; Deputy Chief Clifford Leonard; and Officer Mark Allen.
[Full article here]