A veteran judge will soon decide whether Connecticut police officers are justified in using deadly force.

Appellate Judge Eliot Prescott was appointed as the state’s new police inspector general on Tuesday afternoon.

Prescott pledged to be fair and transparent, but he will face intense scrutiny from civil rights groups and police unions.

The inspector general is the most important person you’ve probably never heard of. The IG decides if law enforcement will face criminal charges after opening fire on a suspect.

Prescott was selected from five finalists after a day-long hearing before the Connecticut Criminal Justice Commission.

“Judge Prescott has served the people of Connecticut with distinction for more than 30 years and we are confident that this legacy of service and commitment to the pursuit of justice will continue with his appointment,” commission Chair Andrew McDonald, a Connecticut Supreme Court justice, said in a statement. “The Commission was very fortunate to interview five outstanding applicants today and we are grateful for their interest in this important and challenging position.”

Prescott has been a judge for the past two decades. Before that, he worked in the Special Litigation Department of the Connecticut Attorney General’s office.

From Day 1, Prescott will be under the microscope.

He will likely take over the case of Dyshan Best, who was shot by a Bridgeport police officer on March 31. Best’s family plans to sue the city for $40 million, saying “compelling new video evidence shows conclusively that Dyshan Best did not have a gun.”

"In Black communities, the protocol is to shoot first and ask questions later – and Dyshan was shot down like a dog," said Darnell Crosland, the family’s attorney.

Civil rights groups said they will be watching Prescott closely.

“The inspector general must be willing to investigate patterns, practices – not shy away from difficult or uncomfortable truths,” said Hartford NAACP president Corrie Betts.

The new inspector general will also face pressure from police unions.

“A concern of many of the officers [is] that, if the wrong Inspector General was chosen, it would be a witch hunt against police officers,” said Criminal Justice Commission member Scott Murphy.

Connecticut lawmakers created the Inspector General job in 2021 after the George Floyd murder. Before that, state’s attorneys determined if use-of-force was warranted.

“This position was established because Connecticut state’s attorneys failed to hold police accountable for killing or harming people,” said Anderson Curtis, with the ACLU of Connecticut.

Former Norwalk Judge Robert Devlin got the job, but he is retiring in July.

Devlin has only prosecuted one officer – state trooper Brian North, who was charged with manslaughter in the 2020 death of Mubarak Soulemane in West Haven. A jury acquitted North last year.

Prescott said he plans to operate the same way as Devlin, but may make some changes.

"Investigations take a while; I understand that,” he said. “The more promptly we can get them done and get the decision made and communicated to the public, that’s better. I wonder if there’s ways to do that.”

Among the finalists, three were judges, three have been defense attorneys, two were former prosecutors and one was a former Monroe police officer. Leonard Crone assured the commission he could be impartial despite his former profession.

“If a police officer does something wrong, it's going to be part of my job to hold them accountable,” Crone said. “That’s what the statute calls for.”

Milford Superior Court Judge Kevin Russo highlighted his experience investigating law enforcement.

“My participation with the grand jury investigating the theft of narcotics from the Ansonia Police Department evidence vault,” he told commissioners.

All five candidates pledged to be transparent without compromising the integrity of investigations.

"Transparency is critical,” said Windsor defense attorney Herman Woodard, Jr. “No matter what the outcome is, as long as they feel that it was transparent, they may likely feel that it's fair as well.”

Other finalists agreed.

“The public needs to know that, first of all, there is accountability,” said Kevin Randolph, a Stamford Superior Court judge best known for presiding over the months-long Michelle Troconis trial.

The new inspector general takes over on July 1.