§ 7-277c — Grants to municipalities for purchase of body-worn recording equipment, digital data storage devices or services and dashboard cameras with a remote recorder.

(a) The Office of Policy and Management shall, within available resources, administer a grant program to provide a grant-in-aid to any municipality approved for such a grant-in-aid by the office, for the costs associated with (1) the purchase of body-worn recording equipment for use by the sworn members of such municipality's police department or for use by constables, police officers or other persons who perform criminal law enforcement duties under the supervision of a resident state trooper serving such municipality, and digital data storage devices or services, provided such equipment, device or service conforms to the minimal technical specifications approved pursuant to subsection (b) of section 29-6d, and (2) a first-time purchase by such municipality of one or more dashboard cameras with a remote recorder or the replacement by such municipality of one or more dashboard cameras purchased prior to December 31, 2010, with one or more dashboard cameras with a remote recorder, provided such dashboard cameras with a remote recorder conform to the minimal technical specifications approved pursuant to subsection (b) of section 29-6d. (b) Any municipality may apply for a grant-in-aid pursuant to this section to the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management on such form and in such manner as prescribed by the secretary, who may further prescribe additional technical or procurement requirements as a condition of receiving such grant-in-aid. (c) The Office of Policy and Management shall distribute grants-in-aid pursuant to this section during the fiscal years ending June 30, 2021, to June 30, 2025, inclusive. Any such grant-in-aid shall be for up to fifty per cent of the cost of such purchase of body-worn recording equipment, digital data storage devices or services or dashboard cameras with a remote recorder if the municipality is a distressed municipality, as defined in section 32-9p , or up to thirty per cent of the cost of such purchase if the municipality is not a distressed municipality, provided the costs of such digital data storage services covered by a grant-in-aid shall not be for a period of service that is longer than one year. (d) For the purposes of this section, (1) “body-worn recording equipment” means an electronic recording device that is capable of recording audio and video; (2) “dashboard camera with a remote recorder” means a camera that affixes to a dashboard or windshield of a police vehicle that electronically records video of the view through the vehicle's windshield and has an electronic audio recorder that may be operated remotely; and (3) “digital data storage device or service” means a device or service that retains the data from the recordings made by body-worn recording equipment using computer data storage.

Legislative History

(July Sp. Sess. P.A. 20-1, S. 20; P.A. 22-118, S. 332; P.A. 23-204, S. 99.) History: July Sp. Sess. P.A. 20-1 effective July 31, 2020; P.A. 22-118 amended Subsec. (c) by inserting reference to June 30, 2023, effective July 1, 2022; P.A. 23-204 amended Subsec. (c) by substituting “to June 30, 2025, inclusive” for “June 30, 2022, and June 30, 2023” re distribution of grants-in-aid, effective June 12, 2023.