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

The former cops chief in New Haven, Connecticut, was detained Friday on larceny charges following allegations 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 stated in a news release. Jacobson deals with two counts of larceny associated to defrauding a public neighborhood.


"A claims of embezzlement by a police authorities is a severe matter and possibly weakens public self-confidence in the criminal justice system," Chief State's Attorney Patrick J. Griffin stated in a declaration.


Jacobson's attorney, Gregory Cerritelli, said he might not react to the specific claims yet however advised 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 declaration. "I advise everybody to keep an open mind and avoid a rush to judgment."


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


Elicker stated the former chief acknowledged taking the funds for personal usage when 3 of his deputies faced him over the monetary irregularities. According to the arrest warrant, Jacobson told the deputies he was spending excessive money on sports betting apps, was seeking assistance for a betting dependency and intended to replace the cash.


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


Investigators identified that Jacobson bet 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 allegations "stunning" throughout a Friday press conference and said Jacobson initially admitted taking $10,000 from only one authorities account.


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


"It ´ s a very sad day for the city to see a chief, who was beloved by numerous people, detained for a theft of public cash and likewise cash that was intended for children," Elicker said. Jacobson is implicated of also taking money from the cops athletic league, which supplies 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 male was immobilized in the back of a paddy wagon in an event that roiled the police department and the city.


The state district attorney's office stated Friday the city of New Haven initially reported the embezzlement claims 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 defendant had access to cash because fund," according to a news release, which said bank records revealed checks connected with the fund were deposited into Jacobson's personal monitoring account.


Two checks totaling $4,000 were also withdrawn from the New Haven Police Activity League Fund between Dec. 23 and Dec. 24, 2025. The district attorney's office said both were discovered in Jacobson's individual . Investigators said no one else at the cops department was involved in the matter.


Jacobson had actually been with the department for 15 years before being named chief. He previously served in the East Providence Police Department in Rhode Island for 9 years.