Former Connecticut Cop Caught in Hate Mail Hoax: Report

A former Bridgeport Police officer and Naugatuck resident was arrested after he allegedly falsely reported receiving racially-charged hate mail in his personal mailbox at the Bridgeport Police Department.

State Police were assigned to investigate the complaint made by Clive Higgins, 50, on Feb. 9. Higgins resigned from the Bridgeport Police Department on July 6. He was charged with second-degree falsely reporting an incident.

He allegedly admitted to investigators that he typed the letter himself, according to an affidavit. He also claimed that Lt. Lonnie Blackwell, president of the Guardians minority police organization told him he should write the letter to bring attention to racial complaints in the department.

Blackwell denied involvement in a subsequent interview with police and said anyone who wrote the letter should be charged.

Higgins reported the hate mail to Chief Joseph Gaudett on Feb. 9 and said he feared for his life and that it showed there was discrimination in the department, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.

Excerpts of the letter said “We know where you live,” and ”Remember you haven o duty weapon to defend yourself.”

Higgins was cleared by a federal court jury of policy brutality charges after video came out of him stomping on a suspect in Beardsley Park in 2011, according to the Connecticut Post.

Bridgeport Police conducted their own internal investigation and completed a report that sat on Gaudett’s desk for seven weeks without action, according to the Post.

Blackwell was put on administrative duty and relieved of his command of the training academy.

State Police reviewed Feb. 9 security surveillance at the department. He entered the booking room area and was typing something on the computer, according to the affidavit.

He retrieved a sheet from a printer and left the area. He then made a copy in the records room and returned to the booking area to make two phone calls and print a three-page document.

Higgins then appeared to read the contents of a single page of paper to people in the records room, made another copy and eventually left the building.

Higgins was interviewed by State Police and said he found the letter in his box and called Blackwell. He said Blackwell told him to make a copy of the letter and leave the building for his own safety, according to the affidavit.

He couldn’t explain what he typed, printed and placed into his satchel. State Police also noted that he appeared happy and not concerned for his safety after he allegedly found the letter.

Police found inconsistencies in his story compared to the surveillance video. Eventually Higgins allegedly admitted to writing the letter and said he didn’t want to be labeled as a rat.