Legislative Program Review and Investigations Committee
Scope of Study
CONNECTICUT SHERIFFS SYSTEM
Under the Connecticut constitution (Article Fourth, Sec. 25), sheriffs are elected in the counties of the state every four years. The powers and duties of those sheriffs, commonly referred to as high sheriffs, are specified in Chapter 78 of the statutes. Their major duties are:
service of process, which includes the delivering or leaving of documents with the party who ought to receive them as well as handling bank, wage, and property executions, evictions, and the collection of delinquent taxes;
transportation and custody of prisoners between courthouses and correctional facilities under specified circumstances;
custody of prisoners at courthouses; and
prevention or suppression of mobs and preservation of the public peace.
The statutes provide for the high sheriffs to appoint deputy sheriffs and special deputy sheriffs to assist them with these duties.
The statutes also create a five-member Sheriffs' Advisory Board -- two high sheriffs, the commissioner of correction, the chief court administrator, and the comptroller. The board is required to:
establish and administer a training program for deputy and special deputy sheriffs;
establish operating procedures for prisoner transportation and courthouse security;
receive and allocate appropriations for the operation of the prisoner transportation and courthouse security system;
establish minimum qualifications for courthouse security personnel;
develop a standardized test to determine the qualifications, fitness, and ability of applicants to perform the duties of courthouse security personnel;
conduct an investigation of the background of each applicant and require him or her to undergo a physical exam; and
maintain records of prisoner movements by the high sheriffs.
Area of Focus
The study will describe how the Connecticut sheriffs system currently operates and evaluate alternative models for the performance of its existing duties.
Areas of Analysis
Summarize the status of administrative and legislative recommendations previously proposed by the program review committee regarding the sheriffs system;
Determine the functions currently performed by sheriffs in Connecticut and quantify the cost of those activities;
Examine how other states carry out the same functions;
Identify alternative approaches for handling the duties of the high sheriffs and the Sheriffs' Advisory Board, including the method of selecting personnel (e.g., patronage and civil service processes);
Develop staffing and cost estimates for alternative approaches; and
Categorize the advantages and disadvantages of alternative approaches.
Areas Not Included in Analysis
The study will not investigate specific allegations of criminal wrongdoing.