CHAPTER 528*
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY

      Sec. 29-1. Appointment of commissioner. Section 29-1 is repealed.

      (1949 Rev., S. 3640; P.A. 77-614, S. 609, 610.)

      Sec. 29-1a. Transferred to Chapter 529, Sec. 29-1zz.

      Sec. 29-1b. (Formerly Sec. 28e-1). Department of Public Safety. Commissioner. Deputy commissioners. Division of State Police. (a) There shall be a Department of Public Safety. The department head shall be the Commissioner of Public Safety, who shall be appointed by the Governor in accordance with the provisions of sections 4-5, 4-6, 4-7 and 4-8 with the powers and duties therein prescribed. The commissioner shall be the chief administrative officer of the department and shall have the responsibility for providing a coordinated, integrated program for the protection of life and property. The commissioner may appoint not more than three deputy commissioners of public safety, who shall, under the direction of the commissioner, assist in the administration of the department.

      (b) There shall be within the Department of Public Safety a Division of State Police. The Commissioner of Public Safety shall serve as administrative head and commanding officer of the State Police Division. In his capacity as administrative head said commanding officer of the Division of State Police may delegate his jurisdiction of the affairs of the Division of State Police to a deputy commissioner who shall have the powers and privileges conferred by statute upon a state policeman.

      (c) Said department shall constitute a successor department to the Department of State Police in accordance with the provisions of sections 4-38d and 4-39.

      (P.A. 77-614, S. 485, 610; P.A. 90-337, S. 1, 8; P.A. 99-218, S. 2, 16.)

      History: (Revisor's note: Sec. 29-1b was formerly published as Sec. 28e-1. In 1983 it was decided that a separate title 28e devoted to public safety was unnecessary and the title was abolished and this section transferred to its present number. At the same time title 29 was expanded with the transfer from title 19 of several topics which were brought under the jurisdiction of the department of public safety by public act 77-614, entitled An Act Concerning the Reorganization of the Executive Branch of State Government, and subsequent legislation); P.A. 90-337 amended Subsec. (a) to permit commissioner to appoint not more than two deputy commissioners; P.A. 99-218 amended Subsec. (a) to permit the commissioner to appoint not more than three deputy commissioners, effective July 1, 1999.

      See chapter 529 (Sec. 29-1zz et seq.) re Division of State Police.

      Cited. 14 CA 376.

      Subsec. (b):

      Cited. 197 C. 698.

      Sec. 29-1c. (Formerly Sec. 28e-2). Uniform crime reporting system. (a) The Commissioner of Public Safety shall establish a state-wide uniform crime reporting system within the Department of Public Safety and shall develop policy concerning the use of data obtained through said system.

      (b) Each organized police department shall participate in the state-wide uniform crime reporting system by submitting to the Commissioner of Public Safety, at such times and on such forms as said commissioner may prescribe, a uniform crime report concerning crimes committed within such organized police department's jurisdiction. Such report shall contain the number and nature of offenses committed and such other information as the commissioner, shall require.

      (c) The Commissioner of Public Safety may establish an advisory board composed of police chiefs from organized police departments to assist him in developing such policy referred to in subsection (a) of this section. The Commissioner of Public Safety may, with the advice and assistance of said board, if so established, adopt regulations in accordance with chapter 54, necessary to implement and maintain the state-wide uniform crime reporting system.

      (d) The Commissioner of Public Safety shall publish an annual report concerning the extent, fluctuation, distribution and nature of crime in Connecticut. The annual report shall include a specific analysis of the nature, extent and pattern of sex crimes in the state.

      (P.A. 79-406; P.A. 93-340, S. 7, 19.)

      History: (Revisor's note: Sec. 29-1c was formerly published as Sec. 28e-2. In 1983 it was decided that a separate title 28e devoted to public safety was unnecessary and the title was abolished and this section transferred to its present number. At the same time title 29 was expanded with the transfer from title 19 of several topics which were brought under the jurisdiction of the department of public safety by public act 77-614, entitled An Act Concerning the Reorganization of the Executive Branch of State Government, and subsequent legislation); P.A. 93-340 amended Subsec. (d) to require the annual report to include a specific analysis of sex crimes, effective July 1, 1993.

      Sec. 29-1d. Local crime stoppers program. Definition. Evidence of certain communications not admissible. (a) As used in this section, "local crime stoppers program" means a private, nonprofit organization operated on less than a state-wide level, which accepts and expends donations for rewards to persons who report to the organization information concerning criminal activity, and which forwards the information to the appropriate law enforcement agency.

      (b) Evidence of a communication between a person submitting a report of criminal activity to a local crime stoppers program and the person who accepted the report on behalf of the local crime stoppers program is not admissible in a court or an administrative proceeding.

      (P.A. 84-540, S. 1-3, 7; P.A. 95-12.)

      History: P.A. 95-12 deleted Subsecs. (b) to (g), inclusive, re Crime Stoppers Advisory Council, relettering remaining Subsec. as (b) and deleting references to the council.

      Sec. 29-1e. Missing Children Information Clearinghouse. Definitions. Duties. Missing child reports. (a) There is established a Missing Children Information Clearinghouse within the Department of Public Safety. The clearinghouse shall be supervised by the Commissioner of Public Safety, who shall establish services deemed appropriate by the department to aid in the location of missing children.

      (b) As used in this section:

      (1) "Missing child" means any person who is under the age of eighteen years, whose temporary or permanent residence is in Connecticut or is believed to be in Connecticut, whose location has not been determined, and who has been reported as missing to a law enforcement agency.

      (2) "Missing child report" is a report prepared on a form designed by the Department of Public Safety for the use by private citizens and law enforcement agencies to report missing children information to the Missing Children Information Clearinghouse.

      (c) The clearinghouse is established as a central repository of information regarding missing children and other missing persons. Such information shall be collected and disseminated to assist in the location of missing children. The clearinghouse shall:

      (1) Establish a system of intrastate communication of information relating to children determined to be missing by the parent, guardian or legal custodian of the child, or by a law enforcement agency;

      (2) Provide a centralized file for the exchange of information on missing children within the state;

      (3) Interface with the National Crime Information Center for the exchange of information on children suspected of interstate travel;

      (4) Collect, process, maintain and disseminate information on missing children and shall strive to maintain or disseminate only accurate and complete information;

      (5) Conduct investigations concerning missing children in this state and cooperate with local law enforcement agencies and other state and federal agencies in investigations concerning missing children.

      (d) All state, county and municipal law enforcement agencies shall submit to the clearinghouse all missing child reports received by any such agency.

      (e) (1) Any parent, guardian or legal custodian may submit a missing child report to the clearinghouse on any child whose whereabouts is unknown, regardless of the circumstances, subsequent to the reporting of such to the appropriate law enforcement agency within the county in which the child became missing, which shall be included in the clearinghouse data base.

      (2) The parent, guardian or legal custodian responsible for notifying the clearinghouse or a law enforcement agency of a missing child shall immediately notify such agency or the clearinghouse of any child whose location has been determined.

      (P.A. 85-441, S. 1, 4.)

      History: (Revisor's note: In 1997 the words "The Department of" in the phrase "commissioner of the Department of Public Safety" in Subsec. (a) were deleted editorially by the Revisors for consistency with customary statutory usage).

      Sec. 29-1f. Clearinghouse to assist in location of missing persons other than children. (a) The clearinghouse established under section 29-1e shall collect, process, maintain and disseminate information to assist in the location of any missing person who (1) is eighteen years of age or older and has a mental impairment, or (2) is sixty-five years of age or older, provided a missing person report prepared by the Department of Public Safety has been filed by such missing person's relative, guardian, conservator, attorney-in-fact appointed by the missing person in accordance with chapter 7, any health care representative appointed by the missing person in accordance with section 19a-576 or a nursing home administrator, as defined in section 19a-511. Such relative, guardian, conservator, attorney-in-fact, health care representative or nursing home administrator shall attest under penalty of perjury that the missing person (A) is eighteen years of age or older and has a mental impairment, or (B) is sixty-five years of age or older. No other proof shall be required in order to verify that the missing person meets the criteria to be eligible for assistance under this subsection. Such relative, guardian, conservator, attorney-in-fact, health care representative or nursing home administrator who files a missing person report shall immediately notify the clearinghouse or law enforcement agency if the missing person's location has been determined.

      (b) Subject to available resources, the clearinghouse established by section 29-1e may collect, process, maintain and disseminate information to assist in the location of missing persons other than children and those persons who are eligible for assistance under subsection (a) of this section.

      (P.A. 85-441, S. 2, 4; P.A. 09-109, S. 2.)

      History: P.A. 09-109 added Subsec. (a) re use of clearinghouse to assist in location of missing persons 65 years of age or older and missing persons 18 years of age or older with mental impairment, designated existing provisions as Subsec. (b) and added provision therein re persons eligible for assistance under Subsec. (a), effective July 1, 2009.

      Sec. 29-1g. Child support enforcement. Special policemen. Appointment. Powers. The Commissioner of Public Safety may appoint not more than six persons nominated by the Commissioner of Social Services as special policemen in the Bureau of Child Support Enforcement of the Department of Social Services for the service of any warrant or capias mittimus issued by the courts on child support matters. Such appointees, having been sworn, shall serve at the pleasure of the Commissioner of Public Safety and, during such tenure, shall have all the powers conferred on state policemen and state marshals.

      (June Sp. Sess. P.A. 91-8, S. 58, 63; P.A. 93-262, S. 1, 87; P.A. 00-99, S. 72, 154; P.A. 06-149, S. 6; Sept. Sp. Sess. P.A. 09-5, S. 45.)

      History: P.A. 93-262 authorized substitution of commissioner and department of social services for commissioner and department of human resources, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 00-99 replaced reference to sheriffs and their deputies with state marshals, effective December 1, 2000; P.A. 06-149 increased number of special policeman from 2 to 4 and made a technical change; Sept. Sp. Sess. P.A. 09-5 changed maximum number of special policemen appointments from 4 to 6, effective October 5, 2009.

      Sec. 29-1h. Child Protection Network program. The Department of Public Safety shall study the feasibility of establishing a program to assemble and distribute informational packages on the "Child Protection Network" to each municipality that requests such packages. Such program would be patterned after the Child Protection Network program established by the town of Middlefield and would include, but not be limited to, a child-identification system, instructions for participating in such system, informational brochures and signs stating, "NOTICE - THIS IS A KID PROTECTION AREA. WE CALL 911." Each municipality requesting such a package would pay a reasonable fee to be determined by the department.

      (P.A. 95-225, S. 47.)

      Secs. 29-1i to 29-1n. Reserved for future use.

      Sec. 29-1o. Definitions. As used in sections 29-1p and 29-1q:

      (1) "Genuine terrorist threat" means an incident, threat or activity involving an act of domestic or international terrorism sufficient to affect public safety that is deemed credible.

      (2) "Local chief elected official" means the mayor, selectman or town manager of a city or town.

      (P.A. 06-151, S. 1.)

      Sec. 29-1p. Determination of genuine terrorist threat. (a) The Commissioner of Public Safety may assess threats to public safety to determine when a threat qualifies as a genuine terrorist threat. The commissioner may consult with whatever agencies or officials the commissioner deems appropriate for such evaluation.

      (b) When the Commissioner of Public Safety determines that there is a genuine terrorist threat, the commissioner shall immediately notify the Commissioner of Emergency Management and Homeland Security of such threat.

      (P.A. 06-151, S. 2.)

      Sec. 29-1q. Communication with local officials. (a) The Department of Public Safety shall develop a method of direct communication with local chief elected officials.

      (b) Whenever bomb detection personnel are sent to a location in response to a threat received at the state level, the Department of Public Safety shall immediately notify the local police chief of the location of the potential threat. The local police chief shall immediately notify the chief elected official of the municipality.

      (P.A. 06-151, S. 3.)

      Secs. 29-1r to 29-1xx. Reserved for future use.

      Sec. 29-1yy. Report on recommendations of personnel resource management study. Section 29-1yy is repealed.

      (P.A. 89-108, S. 1, 2; P.A. 95-9.)