§ 51-277e — Office of the Inspector General established. Appointment of Inspector General. Powers and duties of office.

Connecticut § 51-277e

• Jurisdiction: Connecticut
• Title 51: Courts
• Ch. 886: Division of Criminal Justice

Text

(a) There is established the Office of the Inspector General that shall be a separate office within the Division of Criminal Justice. Not later than October 1, 2021, the Criminal Justice Commission established pursuant to section 51-275a shall appoint a deputy chief state's attorney as Inspector General who shall lead the Office of the Inspector General. The office shall: (1) Conduct investigations of peace officers in accordance with section 51-277a; (2) prosecute any case in which the Inspector General determines a peace officer used force found to not be justifiable pursuant to section 53a-22 or where a police officer or correctional officer fails to intervene in any such incident or to report any such incident, as required under subsection (a) of section 7-282e or section 18-81nn, as applicable; (3) investigate any failure to report the death of a person in accordance with the provisions of section 7-294mm; (4) investigate any failure to report in accordance with the provisions of subdivision (1) of subsection (h) of section 7-294d; and (5) make recommendations to the Police Officer Standards and Training Council established under section 7-294b concerning censure and suspension, renewal, cancelation or revocation of a peace officer's certification, provided in the case of a failure to report a death of a person, any such recommendation may be made to said council only in a case where such failure is found to be intentional or made with reckless indifference, or if there is no finding that such failure was intentional or made with reckless indifference, a recommendation may be made to the officer's employing agency for any further disciplinary action as so determined by such employing agency. (b) The Inspector General shall serve a term of four years from July first in the year of the appointment unless sooner removed by the Criminal Justice Commission. The commission shall not be precluded from reappointing an individual who has previously served as Inspector General. (c) An Inspector General may be removed or otherwise disciplined only in accordance with section 51-278b . (d) The Inspector General may issue subpoenas to municipalities, law enforcement units, as defined in section 7-294 , the Department of Correction and any employee or former employee of the municipality, unit or department (1) requiring the production of reports, records or other documents concerning an investigation described in subsection (a) of this section that is undertaken by the Inspector General, and (2) compelling the attendance and testimony of any person having knowledge pertinent to such investigation. (e) A chief of police of a municipality, the Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection or the Commissioner of Correction may refer and the Inspector General shall accept any such referral of an incident described in subsection (a) of this section for purposes of an investigation. (f) The Office of the Inspector General shall be at a location that is separate from the locations of the Office of the Chief State's Attorney or any of the state's attorneys for the judicial districts. (g) The Inspector General may employ necessary staff to fulfil the duties of the Office of the Inspector General described in subsection (a) of this section. Such staff shall be selected by the Inspector General within the confines of any existing collective bargaining agreement and shall include, but not be limited to, an assistant state's attorney or a deputy assistant state's attorney, an inspector and administrative staff. As needed by and upon request of the Inspector General, the Office of the Chief State's Attorney shall ensure assistance from additional assistant state's attorneys or deputy assistant state's attorneys, inspectors and administrative staff.

Legislative History

(July Sp. Sess. P.A. 20-1, S. 33; P.A. 21-8, S. 6; P.A. 22-61, S. 3; 22-114, S. 5.) History: July Sp. Sess. P.A. 20-1 effective July 31, 2020 (Revisor's note: In codifying this section, an incorrect reference to “section 42 of this act” was deemed by the Revisors to be a reference to “section 43” and codified as section 18-81nn); P.A. 21-8 amended Subsec. (a) by providing office be separate rather than independent within the division, substituting appointment date of October 1, 2021, for October 1, 2020, requiring Inspector General be appointed rather than nominated, deleting “from within the division” and deleting reference to appointment by General Assembly and amended Subsec. (b) by changing start of term to four years from July first of year in which appointed unless removed sooner and deleting provisions re vacancy and appointment by General Assembly and replacing “renominating” with “reappointing”, deleted Subsec. (c) re nomination and appointment process, deleted Subsec. (d) re filling of a vacancy, deleted Subsec. (e) re interim Inspector General and redesignated existing Subsecs. (f) to (j) as Subsecs. (c) to (g), amended redesignated Subsec. (g) by deleting requirement staff be selected from division staff, adding requirement staff selection be within confines of any existing collective bargaining agreement and deleted Subsec. (k) re staff not in bargaining unit, effective May 6, 2021; P.A. 22-61 amended Subsec. (a) by adding new Subdiv. (3) re failure to report a death, by redesignating existing Subdiv. (3) as Subdiv. (4) and by adding proviso re failure to report a death in same; P.A. 22-114 amended Subsec. (a) to add new Subdiv. (3), codified by the Revisors as Subdiv. (4), requiring an investigation of failure to report and redesignate existing Subdiv. (3) as Subdiv. (4), codified by the Revisors as Subdiv. (5).