NORWICH, CT - For anyone who drives on Connecticut highways, it is often frustrating that, unlike, for example, Massachusetts, state troopers on the road are few and far between.
Many Connecticut drivers grumble that the state’s highways are like the Wild West. Given the clear anti-police bias among state “leaders,” however, it shouldn’t come as a surprise. You cannot blame the state (or local police, for that matter) for standing down.
There is also the fact that, unlike in Massachusetts, the Connecticut State Police (CSP) is responsible for covering several towns that do not have police departments. A single trooper may also be required to patrol hundreds of miles of highway on a given shift, according to a CSP source, speaking to Law Enforcement Today under a promise of anonymity. The source also said they are woefully understaffed, so any perceived lack of visibility is beyond the control of rank-and-file CSP troopers.
A recent incident on Rte. 2 in Norwich is a prime example of how the lack of support from Connecticut’s political class is making the state’s roads less safe.
On Nov. 24, 2025, at 11:47 p.m., a Honda Accord operated by Jesus Santiago of Manchester, CT., was spotted by Trooper Wilfred Blanchette speeding and driving erratically, according to The Day. Blanchette suspected the driver was intoxicated and was operating with a license plate from a different vehicle. Blanchette attempted to stop the Accord, but it continued on Rte. 95 northbound and then entered Rte. 2 westbound. According to Blanchette, the suspect vehicle reached speeds of over 120 mph.
On Rte. 2 in Norwich, another state trooper deployed “stop sticks” in an attempt to deflate the Accord’s tires. One of the tires deflated, but the chase continued because the Accord did not stop.
Due to the Accord’s dangerous operation, Blanchette was permitted by Sgt. Gordon Leslie to use his cruiser to perform a “PIT” (pursuit intervention technique) maneuver. For those unfamiliar, a PIT maneuver involves maneuvering a police cruiser to the side adjacent to the rear quarter panel of a vehicle and then swerving into the suspect vehicle, whereby it theoretically will lose control, and the pursuit can end. It is estimated that in this case, Blanchette was driving approximately 75 mph when the PIT maneuver occurred.
The initial PIT maneuver was unsuccessful; however, a subsequent maneuver successfully disabled the Accord. The vehicle struck the center median guardrail and came to a stop.
Once the pursuit ended, Santiago was taken into custody. A passenger in the vehicle, Tyloine Reddick, began to interfere and struggle with troopers and was bitten by a police K9. Both refused medical attention and faced numerous drug and motor vehicle offenses, state police said.
On Jan. 23, 2026, the Connecticut State Police notified the Office of the Inspector General, a politically-appointed hack, of the incident as required by Connecticut state statute. On Feb. 2, state police turned over reports and video footage of the incident.
On Friday, Feb. 6, Blanchette and Leslie were placed on administrative leave pending the Inspector General’s investigation, with the CSP stating, “...the police powers of the involved Trooper and Sergeant have been suspended.”
In an overly dramatic press release from the Office of the Inspector General dated Feb. 6, the office noted it is “investigating the use of deadly physical force” by Blanchette on Nov. 24, 2025.
Further along in the release, it reads:
“The use of a PIT maneuver under many circumstances, and particularly at high speeds, constitutes the use of deadly physical force in light of the risk of harm it creates to the operator of the vehicle, its occupants, if any, and/or any bystanders.”
It should be noted that Rte. 2 in Connecticut transits a very rural, sparsely populated section of Connecticut, except for its easternmost terminus in Norwich and its westernmost terminus in East Hartford. The pursuit was also just before midnight on a Monday night, so traffic was sparse, and the PIT was not done in a manner that would have put other drivers at risk.
Under Connecticut General Statutes 14-283a-1 to 14-283a-4, the Uniform Statewide Pursuit Policy, it says that “A police officer may only engage another vehicle in a pursuit if the officer has reasonable suspicion to believe that the driver or occupant has committed or is attempting to commit a crime of violence, or there are exigent circumstances that warrant the need to apprehend the suspect promptly because of the potential for harm to the public if the apprehension does not occur [emphasis added].
Call us crazy, but being so intoxicated that you drive over 120 mph just before midnight on a Monday morning would appear to present “potential harm to the public.”
Numerous factors go into the decision-making process during a police pursuit, and there is no indication in the report that any of these factors were considered.
Under Sec. 7, Pursuit Tactics, the pursuit policy says:
“5. All intervention techniques short of deadly force shall be used when it is possible to do so in safety and when the police officers utilizing them have received appropriate training in their use. Such techniques shall include, but not be limited to, boxing in the vehicle or using controlled termination devices such as stop sticks.”
Under Sec. 13, Forced Stop Procedures (Alternative Measures), the use of PIT maneuvers “may be considered to stop a fleeing vehicle”:
“2. Forced stop procedures may be considered when the necessity for an immediate apprehension outweighs the dangers presented to all parties involved and innocent persons.”
[...]
“4. Forced stop procedures must be reasonably and properly applied by police officers who have received appropriate training in their use and have received authorization from their supervisor, absent exigent circumstances.”
So, Trooper Blanchette and Sgt. Leslie were operating within the confines of the Uniform Statewide Pursuit Policy and Connecticut General Statutes. Nobody was seriously injured. Why then is the Office of the Inspector General investigating this incident? Below are videos of the pursuit from Blanchette's cruiser and from a secondary trooper:
Does that look anywhere near deadly physical force to you?
Anyone with eyes wide open can see what this is about. This is just another incident where law enforcement officials, operating within full compliance of the law and who were working to mitigate the danger of an intoxicated, reckless driver to everyone else on the road, are being micromanaged by liberal bureaucrats who put criminals before law enforcement.
The next time you’re driving down a Connecticut highway and don’t see any troopers running radar or observing traffic, keep the above in mind. While already being understaffed, why go out and do your job and be proactive when Connecticut Democrats don’t want you to, and will unleash the full fury of the state bureaucracy on you if you do? If only Connecticut Democrats were as passionate about protecting lawful residents as they are about protecting illegal aliens.
Connecticut residents pay among the highest taxes in the country. They want and expect a fully-staffed state police agency with troopers who are allowed to do their jobs. Trooper Blanchette and Sgt. Leslie will likely be victimized as a guinea pig for trying to make sure Connecticut highways are safe, which is what they were sworn to do.
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