A police car is parked in front of a house.
Hartford Police cruiser. Photo via Hartford Police Department

A now-retired Hartford police lieutenant facing allegations of sexually harassing โ€œa number of personsโ€ has had his law enforcement certification permanently revoked.

The Vermont Criminal Justice Council approved an agreement this month with Karl Ebbighausen that included the action, according to Christopher Brickell, the councilโ€™s executive director.

The revocation of Ebbighausenโ€™s law enforcement certification was โ€œeffective immediately,โ€ the agreement stated. 

The council received a complaint against Ebbighausen in June, the document stated, and the matter was sent to the councilโ€™s Professional Regulation Subcommittee for review.

Between July 2022 and March 2025, Ebbighausen allegedly โ€œsexually harassed a number of persons who worked closely with the Hartford Police Department,โ€ according to the agreement.

โ€œThe Subcommittee determined that the facts established by the investigation of the complaint supported a finding of unprofessional conduct,โ€ the document stated.

As part of the agreement, Ebbighausen โ€œacknowledges that if this matter were to proceed to a contested hearing, the State could proveโ€ that he engaged in prohibited conduct.

โ€œIn the interest of resolving this matter,โ€ the document stated, Ebbighausen and the council reached the agreement, avoiding a hearing before the full council. 

The panel then posted a public notice of the โ€œStipulation and Consent Orderโ€ on the organizationโ€™s website.

Ebbighausen could not be reached for comment. 

Ebbighausen, who retired from the Hartford Police Department earlier this year, had worked for three decades in law enforcement.

The permanent revocation of Ebbighausenโ€™s certification in Vermont will be added to national law enforcement databases. 

He will also have to provide a copy of the consent order in this case to any โ€œlaw enforcement agency to which he makes application for employmentโ€ in โ€œany location or jurisdiction where he may apply,โ€ according to agreement.

VTDigger's criminal justice reporter.