'Implicit Bias Is Playing Out': Fairfield Task Force Gives Update

FAIRFIELD, CT — Racial bias in Fairfield and its effect on residents of color — including a recent traffic stop that resulted in a complaint being filed against the police department — was discussed Monday by town officials.

The conversation was part of an update presented to the Board of Selectmen by the Racial Equity and Justice Task Force, which was formed last year and began work about six months ago to develop its recommendations for the town.

“Residents of color in our town are living a different experience than the majority of our town residents,” said task force member Karen Lynch, who addressed the board.

In addition to recent racist incidents at Fairfield schools, Lynch reported that people of color who live in Fairfield have received different levels of service at restaurants, have been assumed to be from out of town, and have felt they are watched more carefully by law enforcement.

“Implicit bias is playing out in these sectors,” Lynch said. “We’re learning that firsthand.”

Lynch specifically cited a police stop a few months ago, when Fairfield officers pulled over a Black man.

The stop occurred April 26, according to Chief Robert Kalamaras, who said the incident began when a resident called 911 to report there was a stranger in their house. The suspect was a white man in a black sweatshirt driving a blue car, Kalamaras said, but police pulled over a blue-gray car driven by a Black man in a white hoodie.

Officers detained the man for a few minutes, and realized their mistake after viewing surveillance of the suspect provided by the homeowner whose house was entered, according to Kalamaras.

“This was a case where two officers made the same mistake at the same time,” Kalamaras said.

The driver who was stopped filed a complaint with the department on the grounds that he was racially profiled, according to Kalamaras, who said the involved officers underwent implicit bias training, and met with the man and his family to discuss the encounter. The department also provided the driver with access to the body camera footage and dispatch tapes from the incident, Kalamaras said.

“Anytime we have incidents like these, where a community member felt as if they were aggrieved, we are definitely going to look into it and do a full investigation to ensure there is no mishandling of it within the police department or on the part of our officers,” he said.

Police also met with equity task force representatives to review the case.

“We felt that it was very productive that we met, and that we both learned a little bit about each other,” Kalamaras said.

During Monday’s meeting, task force leadership appeared to agree.

“All of the work that we’ve been doing has been in concert and coordination with Chief Kalamaras, who’s been incredibly supportive of our work and has been open,” task force Co-Chair and Selectwoman Nancy Lefkowitz said. “At least at the level of town departments and the like, people are looking to create a more inclusive way of moving forward.”

Task force representation was also recently asked to sit in on interviews with potential new officers, according to Lynch, who called the move “a really wonderful step forward.”

The task force will complete and present its recommendations before the end of the year, according to Lynch.

The group, which was the target of a racist attack about two months ago on Zoom, will hold a roundtable discussion 7:30 p.m. Thursday on Webex to inform residents about its role and recommendations, and hear stories and feedback from attendees. Registration is required by noon Thursday to access the event via Webex. To register, email lynchk.rejtf@gmail.com.

For more information about the roundtable, visit bit.ly/3d5ckLK.