State labor officials have ordered East Hartford police to reinstate a veteran sergeant who was fired after being arrested on charges he tried to inflate hours for another officer’s private duty road job.
Police did not have just cause to terminate Sgt. Ian Allison on Feb. 3, 2021 and he should be returned to duty with back pay, the state Department of Labor’s board of mediation and arbitration ruled on Jan. 14. Allison also has filed a lawsuit seeking compensation for lost overtime and benefits and attorney’s fees.
Police arrested the 21-year department veteran on a charge of attempted second-degree larceny on Oct. 14, 2020, contending that he abused his authority when he told road work supervisors to inflate billable hours on a road construction job that Officer Robert Jones had worked. Jones was arrested on the same charge.
The state panel found insufficient evidence to prove allegations that Allison told Jones he would be paid starting at 7 a.m. even though Jones arrived at the job several hours later. The rate for a private duty job at the time was $60.30 an hour, police have said. Officers were paid five hours for jobs that were up to five hours long and eight hours for jobs between five and eight hours long.
Police also contended that Allison told site supervisors that hours tacked onto the job on Aug. 3 were a penalty for not booking an officer at the beginning of the work. Allison, however, denied saying he would penalize anyone and the state panel found that testimony from an MDC construction inspector and other witnesses for the town was “confusing and/or inconsistent.” The panel also found there was confusion and ignorance about requirements for a private duty police officer among police supervisors, MDC and the construction company hired for the job.
Both Allison and Jones were granted accelerated rehabilitation on the larceny charges, which were subsequently dismissed, but the state panel said the court actions were not considered in its decision to reinstate Allison. Jones retired on Dec. 1, 2020.
Asked Wednesday if Allison would be reinstated, Deputy Police Chief Josh Litwin said the town “is now reviewing the matter with consideration of all state mandated requirements, including certification by the Connecticut State Police Officer Standards and Training Council.”
Allison’s attorney, Michael Georgetti, said Allison is not back on duty, “although he is prepared to return when requested by the town.”
“Sgt. Alison remains POST certified,” Georgetti said. “The town may attempt to interfere with the certification as it appears to have done in at least one other case. If for any reason he is not returned to full employment with full payment of all monetary and other damages caused by the wrongful arrest, the lawsuit would allow those damages to be recovered.”