Madison, Connecticut - Police Commission Fires Gambardella
By Adam Crowley. 05/24/07
May has been a rough month for embattled former Madison police officer Joseph Gambardella. Six months after he was arrested on larceny charges, the Madison Police Commission fired the 15-year department veteran on May 15.
Gambardella's termination came only a week after a Superior Court judge rejected his petition for a probation program that would have allowed him to avoid jail time.
During its hearings, the Police Commission found Gambardella guilty of 15 charges including lack of truthfulness, conduct unbecoming an officer, and falsifying records.
Police Commission Chairman Emile Geisenheimer said measures were taken to ensure fairness to Gambardella.
“In conducting this process, the Police Commission was mindful of the rights of Officer Gambardella to due process,” Geisenheimer said in a statement. “Officer Gambardella was provided a full opportunity to answer the charges against him and present evidence and witnesses on is behalf. While the need to terminate Officer Gambardella is unfortunate, the need of the citizens of Madison to rely upon the integrity and honesty of its police officers is of paramount importance.”
Gambardella declined to comment on the commission's decision.
Gambardella still faces three felony charges of third degree larceny and two misdemeanor counts of fifth degree larceny stemming from incidents at Lenny & Joe's Fish Tale and Beebe Marine. He was arrested in December after video footage at the restaurant allegedly showed him stealing $900 worth of seafood. No additional information is available on the charges from Beebe Marine.
Gambardella applied for accelerated rehabilitation, a special program for first time offenders that allows for charges to be dropped if no violations occur during a probationary period. Madison Police Chief Paul Jakubson objected to the request and it was denied by Superior Court Judge Philip Scarpellino in early May.