HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - A Hartford police detective faces demotion for proposing a betting pool on the location of the city’s first homicide of 2021.
Detective Jeffrey Placzek, who allegedly proposed the wager in a group text to co-workers last week, also faces four months of unpaid leave in a discipline recommendation handed down Monday by Police Chief Jason Thody.
The Hartford Courant reports that 16 other members of the 26-person detective division also are under investigation for how they responded to the bet.
“When I read this text message, I was disgusted, angry, and disappointed,” Thody said in a statement. “The idea that one of our detectives would discuss betting in any way on a tragedy is appalling. I have heard from many members of our community who are distraught about this, and I want them to know that I share their anger.”
The text proposing a “Major Crimes Dead Pool” was sent to 19 people, including detectives and at least two court staff members, asking them to pay $20 for a “pin” to mark a location on a map of Hartford where the first murder of 2021 would occur.
Thody said he learned of the message on Friday and determined it had been sent by Placzek.
Placzek, a 16-year police veteran, has been reassigned to an administrative post until he decides whether to accept Thody’s recommended punishment or challenge it under union rules.
An email seeking comment was sent to the Hartford Police Union on Tuesday.
The department is also investigating who received the message and their response or lack of response.
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