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West Haven officer arrested, accused of using excessive force

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West Haven officer arrested, accused of using excessive force


A West Haven police officer is on administrative leave and is facing charges after an incident during an arrest in July.

The incident involved Officer Richard Naccarato, and was reported to the police chief by another officer who was at the scene.

“Officers on scene reported to their superiors that the arresting officer may have used out-of-policy force,” Chief Joseph Perno said on Wednesday.

A panel was convened at the West Haven Police Department to review body camera footage from the incident.

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The chief placed Naccarato on administrative leave on July 4 pending an internal affairs investigation. He also reported the incident to court officials, who asked state police to investigate.

According to an arrest affidavit for Naccarato, he was one of two officers who responded to JR’s Bar & Grill on Campbell Avenue around 11 p.m. on July 1 for the report of an unwanted person at that location.

When the officers arrived, they found a man sitting on the sidewalk in front of the bar eating food. A bouncer at the bar asked the man to move, but he refused.

When the officers asked the man to move, he told them he wasn’t breaking any laws and he wasn’t going to move.

When Officer Naccarato asked the man to put his hands behind his back as he was attempting to arrest him, the man jumped up and punched Naccarato on the left side of his face, according to the affidavit.

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Naccarato and the other officer then took the man to the ground and attempted to handcuff him, but the man resisted.

According to the affidavit, Naccarato can be seen on video punching the man in the head a total of 18 times. At one point, the second officer yelled “no, no, no,” in an effort to intervene.

The man was eventually subdued and arrested.

During the state police investigation, Naccarato told investigators the man was trying to gouge his eye. Photos of Naccarato after the incident show injuries near his eye, according to the warrant.

After completing their investigation, state police determined there was probable cause to charge Naccarato with second-degree assault. He was arrested on Oct. 24.

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Chief Perno said paperwork has been sent to the the Connecticut Police Officer Standards and Training Council recommending that Naccarato be decertified as an officer. Naccarato has been with the department since June 2021.



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New businesses heading to West Haven’s shoreline

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New businesses heading to West Haven’s shoreline


New businesses are soon set to replace old, rundown buildings in West Haven.

By the end of the summer, the former Savin Rock conference center is slated to become the Kelsey, a restaurant and banquet facility.

Crews are currently working on the inside, according to Mayor Dorinda Borer.

Next door, Jimmies of Savin Rock sits empty after it closed last month. It was open for a hundred years and is now for sale.

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Borer said it’s another opportunity to draw people to the city.

“When there are new developers in town, and they’re making things all bright and shiny, that makes people attracted to our city,” Borer said. “It just seems like everything’s starting to bust loose at once. It’s a lot of work behind the scenes, and then it all starts to come to fruition.”

Thirty new luxury apartments are set to replace the Debonair Beach Motel that fell into disrepair after its last day open more than a decade ago. Demolition began last fall, and it’s expected to continue in March.

Down the street, new condos were built by the same owner of the restaurant and bar Riva. They opened their doors last summer, welcoming eager crowds.

“The turnout’s been unbelievable,” Riva’s owner, Michael Delvecchio, said. “People traveling from other states, New York, Rhode Island, all over Connecticut. It’s something that West Haven been dying for.”

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Riva replaced Chick’s Drive-In, a West Haven hot-dog and seafood staple that closed in 2015 after its owner passed away.

Delvecchio doesn’t ignore that history. A sign that says “The Lodge at Riva” will be removed and replaced with “Chick’s” during the summer, with accompanying pictures of Savin Rock amusement park on the walls.

“Everybody in town has been, with all this shoreline and all this beach, waiting for something to happen,” he said. “Riva’s a little bit of everything.”



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State opens investigation into former New Haven police chief amid stolen money allegations

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State opens investigation into former New Haven police chief amid stolen money allegations


Connecticut State Police and the Chief State’s Attorney have opened an investigation into former New Haven Police Chief Karl Jacobsen and allegations that he misused public funds.

The City of New Haven reported the allegations to State’s Attorney John Doyle on Monday.

New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker said Monday Jacobson admitted to stealing money from a fund used by the New Haven Police Department to pay for an support its confidential informant program.

Several officers flagged irregularities in the account and notified the three assistant chiefs in the department, according to Elicker. It was then that the assistant chiefs confronted Jacobson on Monday morning.

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Elicker said after being confronted, Jacobson admitted to taking the funds. The assistant chiefs then notified Chief Administrative Officer Justin McCarthy, who then notified Elicker.

Jacobson was called in for a meeting with Elicker, where he was to be placed on administrative leave. Elicker said that before the meeting, Jacobson handed in his paperwork to retire, effective immediately.

The mayor was unable to share additional details on how much money was reportedly taken or for how long due to the ongoing investigation.

Assistant Chief David Zannelli has been appointed as the acting police chief.

State police will conduct the investigation and Chief State’s Attorney Patrick Griffin has appointed New Britain Judicial District State’s Attorney Christian Watson to oversee the investigation to avoid any potential conflicts of interest.

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Made in Connecticut: Rochambeau Memorial Monument

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Made in Connecticut: Rochambeau Memorial Monument


This year, the U.S. celebrates the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The French were instrumental in our fight for freedom, and their march through Connecticut is being memorialized in a new sculpture. News 12 met with the artist in this week’s Made in Connecticut.



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