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

The former police chief in New Haven, Connecticut, was jailed Friday on larceny charges following he stole $85,000 from two department accounts.


Karl Jacobson, 56, who quickly retired from the department in January, turned himself in on an arrest warrant. He was later released on a court-set bond of $150,000, a state district attorney stated in a press release. Jacobson faces two counts of larceny associated to defrauding a public community.


"A claims of embezzlement by a cops authorities is a major 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 legal representative, Gregory Cerritelli, said he might not react to the specific claims yet however reminded the public that "an arrest is not proof of guilt and accusations are not proof."


"This is the beginning of a really long process," he said in an emailed declaration. "I advise everyone 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 money from a city fund that compensates confidential informants for assisting authorities solve criminal offenses.


Elicker stated the former chief acknowledged taking the funds for individual use when 3 of his deputies confronted him over the financial irregularities. According to the arrest warrant, Jacobson informed the deputies he was investing too much money on sports wagering apps, was seeking aid for a betting dependency and planned to change the cash.


During the taped discussion, Jacobson asked forgiveness and asked the deputies "for a chance 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 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 police chief.


The mayor called the allegations "stunning" during a Friday news conference and stated Jacobson initially confessed taking $10,000 from only one authorities account.


"We didn't understand how deep this went," Elicker stated, keeping in mind the case remains under investigation.


"It ´ s a really sad day for the city to see a chief, who was cherished by a lot of people, arrested for a theft of public cash and also cash that was meant for children," Elicker said. Jacobson is implicated of likewise taking money from the authorities athletic league, which supplies a variety of programs for the city's youth.


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


The state district attorney's workplace stated Friday the city of New Haven first reported the embezzlement claims on Jan. 5, which triggered an examination by the Connecticut State Police. The probe exposed $81,500 was unaccounted for or abused from the New Haven Police Department Narcotic Enforcement Fund in between Jan. 1, 2024, and Jan. 5, 2026. Money from the fund is utilized to pay private informants who assist in narcotics investigations.


"The accused had access to cash in that fund," according to a press release, which said bank records showed checks related to the fund were deposited into Jacobson's individual checking 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 workplace stated both were found in Jacobson's personal account. Investigators stated no one else at the authorities department was associated with 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.