In a scathing report , the U.S. Department of Justice on Monday accused the East Haven Police Department ( EHPD ) in Connecticut of engaging in a pattern of widespread discrimination against Latinos in violation of the Constitution and federal law . `` We find that EHPD engages in discriminatory policing against Latinos , including but not limited to targeting Latinos for discriminatory traffic enforcement , treating Latino drivers more harshly than non-Latino drivers after a traffic stop , and intentionally and woefully failing to design and implement internal systems of control that would identify , track , and prevent such misconduct , '' Assistant Attorney General Thomas J. Perez wrote in a 23-page letter to the East Haven mayor , detailing the results of a two-year investigation . The letter described the discrimination as `` deeply rooted in the Department 's culture , '' and cited a statistical analysis showing how Latinos were `` intentionally targeted '' for traffic stops . It provided the example of a particular officer 's stops -- 40.5 % of which were of Latino drivers . Overall , the investigation found that 19.9 % of traffic stops made by the EHPD were of Latino drivers , concluding it `` shows pervasive discrimination against Latinos on every level of EHPD traffic enforcement activity . '' The report also said officers were able to target Latinos by focusing on customers leaving Latino businesses . In addition to the high rate of traffic stops , the report accused some EHPD officers of conducting unauthorized immigration investigations . The report mentioned `` numerous incident reports '' where EHPD officers contacted Immigration and Customs Enforcement ( ICE ) to check on the status or seek an immigration detention of a Latino person . Investigators said the tactic was `` used to harass and intimidate Latinos rather than pursue legitimate law enforcement objectives . '' The analysis of the police department 's practices against the Latino community said the Connecticut department , at the very least , turned a blind eye to the blatant cases of biased policing and at worst , enabled it . It also accused the department 's leadership of thwarting the investigation by `` creating a hostile and intimidating environment '' for anyone willing to cooperate with it . CNN reached out to the East Haven Police Department multiple times for comment on Monday . It did not respond . According to 2010 census data , East Haven has a population of some 29,000 people . The vast majority of residents , 88.5 % , are white , while 10.3 % of the population identifies as Hispanic or Latino . Close to 3 % of residents identify as black or African-American . The findings come on the heels of a federal investigation that began more than two years ago , involving a massive review of EHPD incident reports , documents and interviews of department personnel . The Justice Department said it will meet with community leaders , as well with as municipal agencies to address the concerns raised in the report . But the federal agency also made clear that the United States may suspend or terminate federal funding if the town fails to address the civil rights violations .
Federal officials accuse police in East Haven of discrimination . Police targeted Latino drivers , they say . East Haven police did not respond to multiple requests for comment .