House Bill No. 6622
Public Act No. 23-59
AN ACT CONCERNING CERTIFICATION OR ACCREDITATION
REQUIREMENT DEADLINES FOR A LAW ENFORCEMENT UNIT
THAT SERVES A MUNICIPALITY AND CONSISTS SOLELY OF
CONSTABLES OR RESIDENT STATE TROOPERS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. Section 7-294ee of the general statutes is repealed and the
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage):
(a) The Police Officer Standards and Training Council, established
under section 7-294b, and the Commissioner of Emergency Services and
Public Protection or the commissioner's designee, shall jointly develop,
adopt and revise, as necessary, minimum standards and practices for
the administration, management and operation of law enforcement
units, as defined in section 7-294a. Such minimum standards and
practices shall be based upon standards established by the International
Association of Chiefs of Police and the Commission on Accreditation for
Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc., and shall include, but need not be
limited to, standards and practices regarding bias-based policing, use of
force, response to crimes of family violence, use of body-worn recording
equipment, complaints that allege misconduct by police officers, use of
electronic defense weapons, eyewitness identification procedures,
notifications in death and related events and pursuits by police officers House Bill No. 6622
Public Act No. 23-59 2 of 4
and compliance with the guidance issued by the council pursuant to
subdivision (1) of subsection (g) of section 7-294d regarding reporting
procedures to be followed by chief law enforcement officers for
certificate suspension, cancellation or revocation. Not later than January
1, 2023, the council shall, within available appropriations, divide the
minimum standards and practices into three state-accreditation tiers, to
be known as tier one, tier two and tier three. Tier one shall consist of
minimum standards and practices designed to protect law enforcement
units from liability, enhance the delivery of services and improve public
confidence in law enforcement units. Tier two shall consist of minimum
standards and practices for the administration, management and
operation of law enforcement units. Tier three shall consist of higher
minimum standards and practices for the administration, management
and operation of law enforcement units. The council shall post the
minimum standards and practices of each tier on the council's Internet
web site and disseminate the minimum standards and practices of each
tier to law enforcement units. The council and commissioner or the
commissioner's designee shall jointly develop a process to review a law
enforcement unit's compliance with the minimum standards and
practices of each tier and issue a certificate of compliance with the
minimum standards and practices of tier one, tier two or tier three, as
the case may be, to a law enforcement unit that meets or exceeds the
minimum standards and practices of such tier.
(b) On and after January 1, 2019, and until December 31, 2022, each
law enforcement unit shall adopt and maintain (1) the minimum
standards and practices developed by the council pursuant to
subsection (a) of this section, or (2) a higher level of accreditation
standards developed by the council or the Commission on Accreditation
for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc., except a law enforcement unit that
serves a municipality and consists solely of constables or resident state
troopers shall adopt and maintain such standards and practices or
accreditation on and after January 1, 2019, and until December 31, 2023. House Bill No. 6622
Public Act No. 23-59 3 of 4
(c) On and after January 1, 2023, and until December 31, 2023, each
law enforcement unit shall (1) be certified, at a minimum, as meeting the
requirements for state-accreditation tier one developed by the council
pursuant to subsection (a) of this section, or (2) meet a higher level of
accreditation standards developed by the Commission on Accreditation
for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc., except a law enforcement unit that
serves a municipality and consists solely of constables or resident state
troopers shall be so certified or meet such accreditation standards on
and after January 1, 2024, and until December 31, 2024.
(d) On and after January 1, 2024, and until December 31, 2025, each
law enforcement unit shall (1) be certified, at a minimum, as meeting the
requirements for state-accreditation tiers one and two developed by the
council pursuant to subsection (a) of this section, or (2) meet a higher
level of accreditation standards developed by the Commission on
Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc., except a law
enforcement unit that serves a municipality and consists solely of
constables or resident state troopers shall be so certified or meet such
accreditation standards on and after January 1, 2025, and until
December 31, 2026.
(e) On and after January 1, 2026, each law enforcement unit shall (1)
be certified as meeting the requirements for state-accreditation tiers one,
two and three developed by the council pursuant to subsection (a) of
this section, or (2) meet a higher level of accreditation standards
developed by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement
Agencies, Inc., except a law enforcement unit that serves a municipality
and consists solely of constables or resident state troopers shall be so
certified or meet such accreditation standards on and after January 1,
2027.
(f) If a law enforcement unit fails to obtain or maintain the
appropriate certification for a state-accreditation tier or tiers or the
higher level of accreditation standards developed by the Commission House Bill No. 6622
Public Act No. 23-59 4 of 4
on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc., as required by the
provisions of subsections (b) to (e), inclusive, of this section, the council
shall work with the law enforcement unit to obtain and maintain such
certification or accreditation standards.
(g) If a law enforcement unit fails to comply with the guidance issued
by the council pursuant to subdivision (1) of subsection (g) of section 7-
294d regarding reporting procedures to be followed by chief law
enforcement officers for certificate suspension, cancellation or
revocation, the council may revoke the certificate of compliance with the
appropriate state-accreditation tier or tiers, as the case may be, issued
pursuant to this section.
(h) No civil action may be brought against a law enforcement unit for
damages arising from the failure of the law enforcement unit to (1)
adopt and maintain such minimum standards and practices or a higher
level of accreditation standards pursuant to subsection (b) of this
section, or (2) obtain and maintain the appropriate certificate of
compliance with the appropriate state-accreditation tier or tiers or
accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement
Agencies, Inc., as required by subsections (c) to (e), inclusive, of this
section.