NEW HAVEN, Conn. — An officer who was fired over an incident where an arrestee was paralyzed while in police custody has been reinstated, the New Haven Independent reported.
Officer Luis Rivera was one of five officers arrested on misdemeanor charges over the transport and handling of Richard “Randy” Cox. Cox was partially paralyzed after being placed into a transport van without being properly secured on June 19, 2022.
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After being injured during transport, Cox was taken from the vehicle and forcibly moved into a cell. The officers charged in the case did not believe that Cox was injured, but thought that he was instead heavily intoxicated.
Rivera, along with three of the other four officers, were then fired over their handling of Cox at the detention facility, the New Haven Independent reported.
On Feb. 13, 2026, Rivera and two other officers had their criminal cases dismissed by a judge, while the remaining two charged officers pleaded guilty and avoided prison time.
On July 20, the state’s arbitration board unanimously ruled that Rivera should not have been fired.
The board found that Rivera did not know that Cox was paralyzed, as he had little medical training. The decision states that medical personnel also did not recognize Cox’s injury and that Cox was indeed heavily intoxicated, the New Haven Independent reported.
“None of the ways in which Mr. Rivera interacted with Mr. Cox were discourteous and disrespectful,” the board wrote.
The board also stated that it was “unknown and likely unknowable” whether Cox’s injuries were worsened by his being moved into the detention facility after they were caused by being unrestrained in the vehicle.
Rivera returned to the role of New Haven Police officer effective July 27. He was directed to report to the police training academy to complete retraining and recertifications.
Officer Oscar Diaz, who was driving the transport vehicle on the night of the incident, appealed his firing and was given his job back in January of 2024, the New Haven Independent. A sergeant who was supervising the scene appealed for her job and was denied in July 2024.
