Help a CT Police Officer being fired for saving his partner
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On September 15, 2023, my son, Police Officer Eric Ristaino, was working his normal evening shift patrol when at approximately 10:00pm he was placed into a situation which is currently jeopardizing his career as a Police Officer and ultimately his future. My son was forced to make a split-second life or death decision to save his partner’s life, who was pulled into the vehicle by one of three shoplifting suspects and held against his will, while the driver backed into my son’s police cruiser and then sped away. My son’s partner, Officer Kurt Correia, was partially inside the vehicle and partially outside of the vehicle and was unable to free himself as he was violently struggling with the suspects for his life as they sped away with him. At one point during the struggle, the suspect holding Officer Correia captive pointed Officer Correia’s taser back towards his face while he was still hanging partially outside of the suspect's car. My son, who at this point had been running behind the vehicle on foot for over 100 yards, fired one (1) shot at the driver with his department pistol as she turned onto Boston Post Road and was accelerating away with his partner hanging partially out of the passenger side of the vehicle. According to the State’s report and the photographs attached to the report, the bullet entered the trunk of the vehicle, on a trajectory towards the driver’s seat, and was stopped by a duffle bag inside the trunk. In my opinion, the opinion of a majority of those who have reached out and shown support for my son, and even the statements of the suspects who kidnapped Officer Correia, my son firing the shot is what ultimately got the vehicle to stop, therefore saving Officer Correia from being injured or even killed. The suspects told investigators that they heard the gunshot and were afraid they were going to be killed, therefore they stopped the car. The suspects were arrested and pled guilty to their charges.
My son returned to work on administrative duties on November 25, 2023, and returned to patrol in January 2024, after being told he was “cleared”. 10 months later, in October 2024, the Deputy Assistant State’s Attorney Office of the Inspector General (A byproduct of the CT Police Accountability Bill) officially released their report and findings. The Inspector General wrote that Officer Correia was “essentially being kidnapped” and “was in a dangerous situation” but that he was “not at risk of death”. On this assumption, the Inspector General believes that my son’s use of deadly force to save his partner was “unreasonable and therefore not justifiable”, and he is requesting to the Police Officer Standards and Training Council that my son's police certification be revoked, in which case he could never be a Police Officer in Connecticut again. The report is filled with factual errors, is clearly biased, and judges my son’s decision in hindsight which specifically goes against Supreme Court precedent for the use of force by Police.
As a result of the Inspector General’s report, my son’s department has placed him on a paid administrative leave while actively attempting to terminate him for attempting to save the life of his partner. My son has served his department with integrity, dignity, and honor, for over the last 5 years, including receiving the M.A.D.D. (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) Award earlier in the day on September 15, 2023, after being nominated by his department for this outstanding DUI enforcement efforts (Pictured above).
Anyone who knows my son knows how much being a Police Officer means to him. Because of how important this job is to my son, he has opted to hire a personal attorney to help him fight to retain his job and certification, due to the potentially life altering outcomes of this case. We do not know how much longer my son will continue to be paid for and, while worth it in his case, paying for an attorney out of pocket can be costly.
Please consider donating to Officer Ristaino’s legal expenses and showing him support. Donations can be anonymous and all contributions will go directly towards Officer Ristaino’s legal fees.
The official report can be viewed here: https://portal.ct.gov/dcj/-/media/dcj/10212024orangepolicedepartmentfinal.pdf?rev=6cde39655bb14074bc5bb4ca497b8197&hash=D79490E55F5F826A79C22D5CA70421C4
Along with the dash camera footage here:
Organizer and beneficiary
Julie Ristaino
Organizer
Branford, CT
Eric Ristaino
Beneficiary