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

The former authorities chief in New Haven, Connecticut, was jailed 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 released on a court-set bond of $150,000, a state prosecutor stated in a press release. Jacobson faces 2 counts of larceny related to defrauding a public community.


"An accusation of embezzlement by an authorities official 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 lawyer, Gregory Cerritelli, stated he might not react to the specific accusations yet however advised the general public that "an arrest is not proof of guilt and allegations are not proof."


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


Last month, New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker, when revealing Jacobson's retirement, stated the previous chief confessed he took money from a city fund that compensates private informants for assisting authorities solve criminal activities.


Elicker stated the former chief acknowledged taking the funds for personal use when 3 of his deputies faced him over the monetary irregularities. According to the arrest warrant, Jacobson told the deputies he was spending too much money on sports wagering apps, was looking for help for a gaming dependency and planned to replace the cash.


During the tape-recorded conversation, Jacobson said sorry and asked the deputies "for an opportunity to save myself" so he could avoid going to prison and losing his pension, according to the warrant.


Investigators determined that Jacobson bet more than $4.4 million on his DraftKings and FanDuel accounts in 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" during a Friday news conference and said Jacobson at first admitted taking $10,000 from only one .


"We didn't understand how deep this went," Elicker stated, noting the case stays under investigation.


"It ´ s a very unfortunate day for the city to see a chief, who was beloved by many individuals, arrested for a theft of public money and likewise cash that was planned for children," Elicker said. Jacobson is accused of also taking money from the police athletic league, which offers a variety of programs for the city's youth.


Jacobson had served for three years as police chief in one of Connecticut ´ s largest cities, which is home to Yale University. He took workplace in July 2022, simply weeks after a Black guy was immobilized in the back of an authorities van in an occurrence that roiled the police department and the city.


The state district attorney's workplace said Friday the city of New Haven first reported the embezzlement accusations on Jan. 5, which prompted an investigation by the Connecticut State Police. The probe revealed $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 used to pay private informants who assist in narcotics examinations.


"The accused had access to cash in that fund," according to a press release, which stated bank records showed checks associated with the fund were deposited 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 individual account. Investigators said no one else at the cops department was included in the matter.


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