and also dragging him into the police department and slamming him down in the cell with a broken spine,” Esdaile said in a phone interview. “They still need to deal with the police culture of those officers dragging him out of the van. Esdaile, president of the Connecticut NAACP chapter, said the announced reforms are a good first step, but more needs to be done. They also say several steps already have been taken in response to what happened to Cox, including requiring officers to ensure prisoners are wearing seat belts. The reforms announced Thursday include eliminating the use of police vans for most prisoner transports and using marked police vehicles instead, requiring officers to immediately call for an ambulance to respond to their location if the prisoner requests or appears to need medical aid, a review of detention center policies, random checks of detention area personnel's body cameras, and department-wide training on several related topics.Ĭity officials are inviting residents to several planned town hall-style discussions on police department issues, with the first one scheduled for July 14.

Gray, a 25-year-old Black man, died in 2015 after he suffered a spinal injury while handcuffed and shackled in a city police van. What happened to Cox, 36, on June 19 has sparked outrage from his family and civil rights advocates including the NAACP, and has drawn comparisons to the Freddie Gray case in Baltimore. Cox in his condition really brings home why it’s so important for us to take action to correct what happened.” Cox is unacceptable and we’re committed to making these necessary changes,“ Elicker said. “I want to reiterate that what happened to Mr. Cox is paralyzed from the waist down and has trouble talking, his lawyers and city officials said. Mayor Justin Elicker and police Chief Karl Jacobson outlined new policies and training during a news conference, one day after having met with Richard “Randy” Cox and his family at a local hospital.

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