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

The previous cops chief in New Haven, Connecticut, was apprehended Friday on larceny charges following allegations he stole $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 district attorney said in a press release. Jacobson deals with 2 counts of larceny associated to defrauding a public neighborhood.


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


Jacobson's attorney, Cerritelli, stated he could not respond to the specific allegations yet however advised the public that "an arrest is not proof of guilt and accusations are not evidence."


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


Last month, New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker, when announcing Jacobson's retirement, stated the former chief confessed he took cash from a city fund that compensates personal informants for assisting authorities fix criminal activities.


Elicker stated the former chief acknowledged taking the funds for personal use when 3 of his deputies faced him over the monetary abnormalities. According to the arrest warrant, Jacobson informed the deputies he was spending too much cash on sports betting apps, was seeking help for a gambling dependency and intended to replace the cash.


During the tape-recorded discussion, Jacobson apologized and asked the deputies "for a chance to save myself" so he could prevent going to prison and losing his pension, according to the warrant.


Investigators determined that Jacobson wagered 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 earned $180,000 a year as cops chief.


The mayor called the claims "shocking" throughout a Friday press conference and stated Jacobson initially admitted 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 really unfortunate day for the city to see a chief, who was precious by many individuals, apprehended for a theft of public money and also cash that was planned for kids," Elicker said. Jacobson is accused of likewise taking cash from the police athletic league, which provides a series of programs for the city's youth.


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


The state prosecutor's office stated Friday the city of New Haven initially reported the embezzlement allegations on Jan. 5, which triggered an examination by the Connecticut State Police. The probe revealed $81,500 was unaccounted for or misappropriated 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 private informants who assist in narcotics investigations.


"The accused had access to cash in that fund," according to a news release, which said bank records showed checks connected with the fund were transferred 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 prosecutor's workplace stated both were discovered in Jacobson's personal account. Investigators stated no one else at the police department was involved in the matter.


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