Sergeant Russ Iger has served with the Coventry Police Department since December 2012. Currently, he is assigned as the evening patrol supervisor, and coordinator for the Officer Wellness Committee, Lethality Assessment Program (LAP), and U-Visa certification for non-immigrant crime victims. He has also taken on the role of drafting policies, and revising department directives to be compliant with current State and Federal law.
In addition to being a POSTC certified instructor in Constitutional Law, Connecticut Criminal Law, Immigration Law, Laws of Arrest, Search and Seizure, Use of Less Lethal Force (EDW), Stress Management, Suicide Recognition, and Human Trafficking; he is a licensed attorney admitted to the State Bars of New York and Connecticut, and the Federal Bars of the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York and District of Connecticut.
Previously, his duties included acting as a Field Training Officer (FTO), Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) coordinator, a member of a regional Critical Incident Stress Management team, and Vice President of the Police Union. As coordinator of the Officer Wellness Committee, he instituted the use of annual wellness checks for officers and dispatchers, provided access to mindfulness and yoga training for staff and their spouses, and developed the Department’s Peer Support Program. Sgt. Iger has presented statewide for the Governor’s Prevention Partnership and the Connecticut Alliance to Benefit Law Enforcement, and is a recipient of the Connecticut Police Chiefs Association “Serve Well, Be Well” Award.
Prior to joining law enforcement, he established a successful cafe and trekking business in the Tibetan foothills (igertrekking.webs.com / blackpotterycoffee.webs.com). In 2011, he received the “Mekong Responsible Tourism Award” for promoting sustainable tourism and local economic development while preserving cultural heritage. He also instituted the international law program at Yunnan University of Finance and Economics covering areas such as the World Trade Organization, Chinese and Foreign Contract Law, and International Criminal Law. In 2007, he received the “Yunnan Friendship Award” for significant contributions to the development of the People’s Republic of China, the highest award given to foreign experts by the Chinese Government.
As an associate attorney in New York City with Bernstein Liebhard LLP, he investigated white collar crime and securities compliance. Prior to becoming an attorney, he worked as a Political Office intern for the United States Department of State at the American Embassy in Hanoi; an International Election Observer in Cambodia; and for the Japanese Ministry of Education.
He is a 2002 graduate of the St. Johns University School of Law, where he acted as the Executive Notes & Comments Editor of the New York International Law Review, and he holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Connecticut in Philosophy and Asian Studies. Sergeant Iger is a certified instructor of Dog Brothers Martial Arts, and a fluent Mandarin Chinese speaker. He has a passion for teaching, and criminal justice policy and reform.