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Ofc. Diaz, Sgt. Segui, and Ofc. Pressley lifting Cox into wheelchair on June 19, 2022.
The police officer who was fired for his conduct while transporting Richard “Randy” Cox on a fateful ride that ended up paralyzing Cox and costing New Haven $45 million is now back on the job, a year after state arbitrators overturned his termination.
Police Chief Karl Jacobson confirmed during a Wednesday afternoon press conference that, as of Jan. 13, Oscar Diaz is now officially back working for the New Haven Police Department (NHPD).
His reinstatement comes a year and a half after Diaz was fired for his role in the Cox case, and a year after the state arbitration board voted 2 to 1 to overturn that firing and order that he receive a 15-day unpaid suspension instead.
Jacobson said that Diaz still needs to undergo a background check and receive updated trainings before he starts working again as a full-time NHPD police officer. But “we wanted to make sure we were transparent” by clearly saying that he got his job back, and “he’s back with the police department.”
Mayor Justin Elicker said he stands by the chief’s initial recommendation to fire Diaz and the police commission’s vote to terminate his employment. But, ultimately, the city lost the state arbitration case, and “we’re required to bring Officer Diaz back and reinstate him as a police officer.”
“While we stand by our initial decision, it is what it is,” he continued. “We want to make sure that, because he will be a member of the New Haven Police Department, he is as successful as possible.”
Diaz drove Cox to the 1 Union Ave. detention center on June 19, 2022, after police arrested Cox on a weapons charge.
Diaz slammed on the brakes at an intersection that day to avoid a collision while driving above the speed limit. Cox’s head slammed against a wall in the back of the van, which had no seat belts. Cox informed Diaz he’d been hurt. Diaz radioed in the report but, instead of waiting for an ambulance crew to arrive, took Cox to 1 Union Ave.; a supervisor there accused Cox of lying, demanded he stand up, then pulled him out of the van, placed him in a wheelchair, and dragged him across the floor into a cell. Cox ended up partially paralyzed. The case sparked national outrage.
The city subsequently agreed to a record $45 million settlement of a civil court case brought by Cox. The police arrested five officers involved on misdemeanor charges of cruelty and reckless endangerment. And the Board of Police Commissioners fired four of the five officers. Including Diaz. (The fifth officer retired before the firings.)
On Wednesday, Elicker said that another one of the officers fired for her role this incident, Sgt. Betsy Segui, had her termination upheld by the state arbitration board. The other two fired officers, Jocelyn Lavendier and Luis Rivera, still have active cases before the state arbitration board.
Key moments of the police arrest, transport, and detention of Richard Cox.