(a) There shall be a Police Officer Standards and Training Council which shall be within the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection. Until December 31, 2020, the council shall consist of the following members appointed by the Governor: (1) A chief administrative officer of a town or city in Connecticut; (2) the chief elected official or chief executive officer of a town or city in Connecticut with a population under twelve thousand which does not have an organized police department; (3) a member of the faculty of The University of Connecticut; (4) eight members of the Connecticut Police Chiefs Association who are holding office or employed as chief of police or the highest ranking professional police officer of an organized police department of a municipality within the state; (5) the Chief State's Attorney; (6) a sworn municipal police officer whose rank is sergeant or lower; and (7) five public members.
(b) On and after January 1, 2021, the council shall consist of the following members:
(1) The chief elected official or chief executive officer of a town or city within the state with a population in excess of fifty thousand, appointed by the Governor;
(2) The chief elected official or chief executive officer of a town or city within the state with a population of fifty thousand or less, appointed by the Governor;
(3) A member of the faculty of an institution of higher education in the state who has a background in criminal justice studies, appointed by the Governor;
(4) A member of the Connecticut Police Chiefs Association who is holding office or employed as the chief of police, the deputy chief of police or a senior ranking professional police officer of an organized police department of a municipality within the state with a population in excess of one hundred thousand, appointed by the Governor;
(5) A member of the Connecticut Police Chiefs Association who is holding office or employed as chief of police or the highest ranking professional police officer of an organized police department of a municipality within the state with a population in excess of sixty thousand but not exceeding one hundred thousand, appointed by the Governor;
(6) A member of the Connecticut Police Chiefs Association who is holding office or employed as chief of police or the highest ranking professional police officer of an organized police department of a municipality within the state with a population in excess of thirty-five thousand but not exceeding sixty thousand, appointed by the Governor;
(7) A sworn municipal police officer from a municipality within the state with a population exceeding fifty thousand, appointed by the Governor;
(8) A sworn municipal police officer from a municipality within the state with a population not exceeding fifty thousand, appointed by the Governor;
(9) The commanding officer of the Connecticut State Police Academy;
(10) A member of the public, who is a person with a physical disability or an advocate on behalf of persons with physical disabilities, appointed by the Governor;
(11) A victim of crime or the immediate family member of a deceased victim of crime, appointed by the Governor;
(12) A medical professional, appointed by the Governor;
(13) The Chief State's Attorney;
(14) A member of the Connecticut Police Chiefs Association or the person holding office or employed as chief of police or the highest ranking professional police officer of an organized police department within the state, appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives;
(15) A member of the Connecticut Police Chiefs Association or the person holding office or employed as chief of police or the highest ranking professional police officer of an organized police department within the state, appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate;
(16) A member of the Connecticut Police Chiefs Association who is holding office or employed as chief of police or the highest ranking professional police officer of an organized police department of a municipality within the state with a population not exceeding thirty-five thousand, appointed by the minority leader of the Senate;
(17) A member of the public who is a justice-impacted person, appointed by the majority leader of the House of Representatives;
(18) A member of the public who is a justice-impacted person, appointed by the majority leader of the Senate; and
(19) A member of the public who is a person with a mental disability or an advocate on behalf of persons with mental disabilities, appointed by the minority leader of the House of Representatives.
(c) The Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection and the Federal Bureau of Investigation special agent-in-charge in Connecticut or their designees shall be voting ex-officio members of the council. Any member who fails to attend three consecutive meetings or who fails to attend fifty per cent of all meetings held during any calendar year shall be deemed to have resigned from the council. Any nonpublic member of the council shall immediately, upon the termination of such member's holding the office or employment that qualified such member for appointment, cease to be a member of the council. Any vacancy shall be filled by the appointing authority. A member appointed to fill a vacancy shall be appointed for the unexpired term of the member whom such member is to succeed in the same manner as the original appointment. The Governor shall appoint a chairperson and the council shall appoint a vice-chairperson and a secretary from among the members.
(d) Membership on the council shall not constitute holding a public office. No member of the council shall be disqualified from holding any public office or employment by reason of his appointment to or membership on the council nor shall any member forfeit any such office or employment by reason of his appointment to the council, notwithstanding the provisions of any general statute, special act or local law, ordinance or charter.
(February, 1965, P.A. 575, S. 2, 4; P.A. 77-290; 77-614, S. 487, 610; P.A. 78-303, S. 9, 136; P.A. 79-560, S. 34, 39; P.A. 82-357, S. 2, 8; P.A. 87-477, S. 3; P.A. 89-376, S. 2; P.A. 93-43; P.A. 95-108, S. 3; P.A. 97-5; P.A. 07-17, S. 1; P.A. 11-51, S. 146; 11-61, S. 96; July Sp. Sess. P.A. 20-1, S. 13.)
History: P.A. 77-290 added to provision concerning appointment the phrase calling for service until successors are appointed in Subsec. (a); P.A. 77-614 placed council within the department of public safety for administrative purposes, effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 78-303 substituted commissioner of public safety for commissioner of state police to fulfill requirements of P.A. 77-614, S. 486; P.A. 79-560 added requirement that there be five public members; P.A. 82-357 put the council within the division of state police for administrative purposes only and made provisions for the appointment of a chairperson, vice-chairperson and secretary; P.A. 87-477 added chief state's attorney as member of council; P.A. 89-376 amended Subsec. (a) to permit public safety commissioner and FBI special agent-in-charge to have designees and to be voting ex-officio members of council; P.A. 93-43 added Subsec. (a)(3) extending membership to chief elected official or chief executive officer of a town with a population under 12,000 which does not have an organized police department; P.A. 95-108 amended Subsec. (a) to rename Municipal Police Training Council as Police Officer Standards and Training Council; P.A. 97-5 added new Subsec. (a)(6) extending membership on council to a member of the Connecticut Coalition of Police and Corrections Officers, and renumbered the remaining Subdiv. Accordingly; P.A. 07-17 amended Subsec. (a)(6) to change membership from a member of the Connecticut Coalition of Police and Corrections Officers to a sworn municipal police officer, effective May 7, 2007; P.A. 11-51 amended Subsec. (a) to replace language placing council within Department of Public Safety for administrative purposes with language placing council within Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection and to make technical changes, effective July 1, 2011; P.A. 11-61 amended Subsec. (a) by deleting reference to Division of State Police, effective July 1, 2011; July Sp. Sess. P.A. 20-1 amended Subsec. (a) by specifying that existing council membership shall remain in place until December 31, 2020 and deleting provisions re voting ex-officio members, nonpublic members, vacancy and chairperson, vice-chairperson and secretary appointments and council members' entitlement to expenses involved in performance of duties, added new Subsec. (b) re council membership on and after January 1, 2021, added Subsec. (c) re voting ex-officio members, attendance at meetings and vacancy and chairperson, vice-chairperson and secretary appointments and redesignated existing Subsec. (b) as Subsec. (d), effective July 31, 2020.
Cited. 13 CA 124.