Connecticut § 7-294hh - State and local police policy concerning crowd management. Regulations. Training.

§ 7-294hh. State and local police policy concerning crowd management. Regulations. Training.

Sec. 7-294hh. State and local police policy concerning crowd management. Regulations. Training. (a) As used in this section, “police officer” has the same meaning as provided in section 7-294a.

(b) The Police Officer Standards and Training Council, in consultation with the Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection, the Chief State's Attorney, the Connecticut Police Chiefs Association and the Connecticut Coalition of Police and Correctional Officers, shall adopt, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54, a uniform, state-wide policy for managing crowds by police officers. Such policy shall include a definition of the term “crowd” and reflect factors that affect the management of crowds by police officers, including, but not limited to, the size of the crowd, the location where a crowd has gathered, the time of day when a crowd has gathered and the purpose for any such gathering. In addition, the policy shall establish guidelines for managing crowds in a manner that: (1) Protects individual rights and preserves the peace during demonstrations and civil disturbances, (2) addresses the permissible and impermissible uses of force by a police officer and the type and amount of training in crowd management that each police officer shall undergo, and (3) sets forth the documentation required following any physical confrontation between a police officer and a civilian during a crowd management incident.

(c) The Police Officer Standards and Training Council, in consultation with the Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection, the Chief State's Attorney, the Connecticut Police Chiefs Association and the Connecticut Coalition of Police and Correctional Officers, shall (1) not later than December 1, 2020, post on the eRegulations System, established pursuant to section 4-173b, a notice of intent to adopt regulations setting forth the crowd management policy adopted pursuant to subsection (b) of this section in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54, and (2) at least once during each five-year period thereafter, amend such regulations to update such policy.

(d) On and after the date the crowd management policy is adopted in regulations pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, (1) the chief of police or Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection, as the case may be, shall inform each officer within such chief's or said commissioner's department and each officer responsible for law enforcement in a municipality in which there is no organized police department of the existence of the crowd management policy to be employed by any such officer and shall take whatever measures are necessary to ensure that each such officer understands the crowd management policy established under this section, and (2) each police basic or review training program conducted or administered by the Division of State Police within the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, the Police Officer Standards and Training Council or a municipal police department shall include training in such policy.

(July Sp. Sess. P.A. 20-1, S. 5.)

History: July Sp. Sess. P.A. 20-1 effective July 31, 2020.