A former Norwalk police officer has been charged with computer crimes and forgery after an investigation into citations for several motor vehicle violations that did not happen, according to police.
Police said 31-year-old Edgar Gonzalez, of Stamford, turned himself in at Norwalk police headquarters on Tuesday.
The investigation started after Norwalk Police administration received a complaint in April from a driver who had been notified of having been being involved in a traffic stop and the person told police that had not happened.
An internal review revealed numerous records of car stops reported by then-Officer Gonzalez in which out-of-state drivers had been cited as having been given written warnings for minor motor vehicle violations, according to police.
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Investigators reached out and contacted some of the drivers who said the stops hadn’t happened.
A records audit determined that Gonzalez had entered false information on numerous occasions over the course of several months, police said.
Police said the State’s Attorney’s Office in Stamford asked that a criminal investigation be done, in addition to any department internal investigation.
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Gonzalez resigned his position with the Norwalk Police Department on June 18, after serving for five years in the patrol division, police said.
“I am very disappointed in the actions of Mr. Gonzalez, and am thankful that the initial incident was brought to our attention. This allowed us to then fully investigate the complaint and assure that in addition to the criminal investigation, the records were corrected. Conduct such as this will not be tolerated and we will hold our officers accountable for their actions,” Police Chief Thomas Kulhawik said in a statement.
Gonzalez has been charged with five counts of computer crime in the third degree and five counts of forgery in the second degree.
Bond was set at $100,000.
Norwalk police said they have initiated random audits of computerized police records.
