§ 29-4 — State police force. Appointment of officers. Divisions, units and task forces. Personnel actions. Recommended standards re staffing level.

Connecticut § 29-4

• Jurisdiction: Connecticut
• Title 29: Public Safety and State Police
• Ch. 529: Division of State Police

Text

(a) On and after June 15, 2012, and until July 1, 2013, the Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection shall appoint and maintain a sufficient number of sworn state police personnel to efficiently maintain the operation of the Division of State Police as determined by the commissioner in the commissioner's judgment. On and after July 1, 2013, the commissioner shall appoint and maintain a sufficient number of sworn state police personnel to efficiently maintain the operation of the division as determined by the commissioner in accordance with the recommended standards developed pursuant to subsection (f) of this section. Any sworn state police personnel appointed by the commissioner on or after July 31, 2020, shall be certified by the Police Officer Standards and Training Council under section 7-294d within one year of appointment. (b) On or before February first of each odd-numbered year, the commissioner shall submit a report to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to public safety and appropriations and the budgets of state agencies, in accordance with section 11-4a , providing an assessment of the number of sworn state police personnel necessary to perform division operations for the biennium beginning July first of that year. If such report recommends a staffing level of less than one thousand two hundred forty-eight sworn state police personnel, the commissioner shall include in such report an assessment of the impact to public safety and any potential negative impact specifically attributable to such deviation in staffing level. (c) The commissioner shall appoint from among sworn state police personnel not more than three lieutenant colonels who shall be in the unclassified service as provided in section 5-198 . Any permanent employee in the classified service who accepts appointment to the position of lieutenant colonel in the unclassified service may return to the classified service at such employee's former rank. The commissioner shall appoint not more than twelve majors who shall be in the classified service. The position of major in the unclassified service shall be abolished on July 1, 2011. Any permanent employee in the classified service who accepts appointment to the position of major in the unclassified service prior to July 1, 2011, may return to the classified service at such permanent employee's former rank. The commissioner, subject to the provisions of chapter 67, shall appoint such numbers of captains, lieutenants, sergeants, detectives and corporals as the commissioner deems necessary to officer efficiently the state police force. (d) The commissioner shall establish such divisions as the commissioner deems necessary for effective operation of the state police force and consistent with budgetary allotments, a Criminal Intelligence Division and a state-wide organized crime investigative task force to be engaged throughout the state for the purpose of preventing and detecting any violation of the criminal law, a Hate Crimes Investigative Unit for the purposes described in section 29-7d and, for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2025, and June 30, 2026, an investigative unit within the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, to conduct sting operations relating to the online sexual abuse of minors for the purposes described in section 29-7e . The head of the Criminal Intelligence Division shall be of the rank of sergeant or above. The head of the Hate Crimes Investigative Unit shall be of the rank of sergeant or above, and shall serve as a member of the State-Wide Hate Crimes Advisory Council, established under section 51-279f . The head of the state-wide organized crime investigative task force shall be a police officer. The head of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, including the investigative unit conducting sting operations relating to the online sexual abuse of minors, shall be of the rank of sergeant or above. (e) Salaries of the members of the Division of State Police within the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection shall be fixed by the Commissioner of Administrative Services as provided in section 4-40 . State police personnel may be promoted, demoted, suspended or removed by the commissioner, but no final dismissal from the service shall be ordered until a hearing has been had before the Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection on charges preferred against such officer. Each state police officer shall, before entering upon such officer's duties, be sworn to the faithful performance of such duties. The Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection shall designate an adequate patrol force for motor patrol work exclusively. (f) The Legislative Program Review and Investigations Committee shall conduct a study to develop recommended standards for use by the Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection in determining the commissioner's proposed level of staffing for the Division of State Police for purposes of the biennial budget. The committee, in developing such recommended standards, shall consider the following: Technological improvements, federal mandates and funding, statistical data on rates and types of criminal activity, staffing of patrol positions, staffing of positions within the division and department that do not require the exercise of police powers, changes in municipal police policy and staffing and such other criteria as the committee deems relevant. On or before January 9, 2013, the committee shall report such recommended standards to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to public safety and shall forward a copy thereof to the Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection. See Sec. 5-246 re state police workweek. See Sec. 27-107 re state police on duty at Veterans' Home.

Legislative History

(1949 Rev., S. 3643; 1953, June, 1955, S. 1986d; 1957, P.A. 431, S. 1; 1961, P.A. 565, S. 1; 1963, P.A. 633, S. 2; February, 1965, P.A. 250; 290, S. 1; 1967, P.A. 127, S. 1; 440; 527; 1969, P.A. 587, S. 1; 1972, S.A. 53, S. 13; P.A. 73-374, S. 1, 2; 73-592, S. 1, 15; P.A. 77-614, S. 67, 486, 587, 610; P.A. 78-303, S. 85, 136; P.A. 82-201, S. 1, 4; P.A. 90-337, S. 2, 8; P.A. 92-130, S. 3, 10; P.A. 98-151; P.A. 99-163, S. 1, 9; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, S. 174; P.A. 06-151, S. 4; P.A. 09-2, S. 4; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 09-3, S. 66; P.A. 10-3, S. 18; P.A. 11-48, S. 21; 11-51, S. 167; June 12 Sp. Sess. P.A. 12-1, S. 243; P.A. 13-247, S. 375; July Sp. Sess. P.A. 20-1, S. 1; P.A. 22-9, S. 1; P.A. 23-204, S. 326.) History: 1961 act provided for appointment of additional major in accordance with Sec. 29-58; 1963 act increased number of state policemen to be appointed from 450 to 500; 1965 acts authorized appointment of additional major from the detective division and increased number of policemen to be appointed to 590; 1967 acts authorized creation of criminal intelligence division, required that lieutenant colonel be appointed as executive officer, authorized appointment of corporals, increased number of policemen to be appointed to 665 and specified that a captain will head the criminal intelligence division; 1969 act increased number of policemen to be appointed to 765; 1972 act increased number of policemen to be appointed to 810 men; P.A. 73-374 replaced specific number of appointees with requirement that an adequate number be appointed to efficiently maintain department's operation, similarly replaced listing of required divisions and required numbers of police for motor patrol work with more general statements, deleted references to appointment of “detective sergeants”, to specific majors, i.e. one appointed in accordance with Sec. 29-58 and one from detective division, and to motion picture inspectors and replaced references to policemen and policewomen with references to police personnel and officers; P.A. 73-592 reestablished criminal intelligence division, established state-wide organized crime investigative task force and specified who is qualified to head the division and task force; P.A. 77-614 and P.A. 78-303 replaced personnel policy board with commissioner of administrative services and, effective January 1, 1979, made state police department a division within the department of public safety and replaced state police commissioner with commissioner of public safety; P.A. 82-201 removed reference to appointment of task force head in accordance with Sec. 29-165, that section having been repealed by the same act; P.A. 90-337 required commissioner to appoint not more than two lieutenant colonels in unclassified service; permitted such lieutenant colonels to return to former rank in classified service; abolished position of lieutenant colonel in classified service on April 1, 1991, and required head of state-wide organized crime investigative task force to be police officer; P.A. 92-130 authorized commissioner to appoint a deputy state fire marshal in unclassified service and permitted such official to return to classified service at his former rank, class or grade, deleting provision authorizing commissioner to detail an officer as deputy fire marshal; P.A. 98-151 required the commissioner to appoint and maintain a minimum of 1,248 sworn state police personnel by July 1, 2001; P.A. 99-163 deleted obsolete provision re abolition of position of lieutenant colonel, abolished the position of major in the classified service, and required the commissioner to appoint eight majors, who shall be in the unclassified service, effective July 1, 1999; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6 replaced “By July 1, 2001” with “On and after January 1, 2006” re minimum number of sworn personnel, effective August 20, 2003; P.A. 06-151 increased the number of permitted appointed lieutenant colonels from two to three and decreased the number of permitted appointed majors from eight to seven; P.A. 09-2 deleted provision re subsistence and expense reimbursement and eliminated meal allowance for personnel “not covered by a collective bargaining agreement that requires such allowance”, effective April 1, 2009; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 09-3 replaced provision eliminating meal allowance for employees not covered by collective bargaining agreement with provision requiring meal allowance for state police personnel at the expense of the state, effective September 9, 2009; P.A. 10-3 eliminated provision requiring meal allowance for state police personnel at expense of the state, effective July 1, 2010; P.A. 11-48 returned position of major to the classified service, abolished unclassified position of major on July 1, 2011, and increased number of majors commissioner may appoint from not more than 7 to not more than 12, effective July 1, 2011; P.A. 11-51 replaced references to Commissioner and Department of Public Safety with references to Commissioner and Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, deleted provisions re appointment of Deputy State Fire Marshal, and made technical changes, effective July 1, 2011; June 12 Sp. Sess. P.A. 12-1 designated existing provisions as Subsecs. (a), (c), (d) and (e), amended Subsec. (a) to replace provision requiring commissioner to appoint and maintain a minimum of 1,248 sworn state police personnel with provisions requiring commissioner, on and after June 15, 2012, and until July 1, 2013, to appoint and maintain a sufficient number of sworn state police personnel to efficiently maintain operation of division and, on and after July 1, 2013, to appoint and maintain such sufficient number of sworn state police personnel in accordance with recommended standards, added Subsec. (b) re report of commissioner re assessment of number of sworn state police personnel necessary to perform division operations for next biennium and assessment of public safety and potential negative impact of recommended staffing level, amended Subsec. (c) to make a technical change and added Subsec. (f) re development of recommended standards for determining proposed staffing level, effective June 15, 2012; P.A. 13-247 amended Subsec. (e) to specify that Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection hold hearing prior to final dismissal, effective July 1, 2013; July Sp. Sess. P.A. 20-1 amended Subsec. (a) to add certification requirement, effective July 31, 2020; P.A. 22-9 amended Subsec. (d) to add provisions re Hate Crimes Investigative Unit, effective July 1, 2022; P.A. 23-204 amended Subsec. (d) by adding provisions re investigative unit within Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force to conduct sting operations relating to online sexual abuse of minors, effective July 1, 2023. Cited. 166 C. 81. Cited. 6 Conn. Cir. Ct. 163.