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Police hiring, training, and disciplinary requirements in Connecticut
| Police hiring, training, and discipline |
|---|
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| • Police collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) • Ballotpedia CBA dashboard •Reform proposals •CBA areas of inquiry and disagreement •Arguments about police collective bargaining • Index of articles about criminal justice policy |
| Click here for more analysis of police hiring, training, and disciplinary requirements by state and city on Ballotpedia |
This page provides an overview of policies related to the hiring, training, and discipline of police officers in Connecticut. It is part of an analysis of police union collective bargaining agreements and related arrangements with police unions concerning hiring, training, and disciplinary requirements in the 50 states and top 100 cities by population.
Background
Ballotpedia in 2023 examined the collective bargaining agreements, statutes, and regulatory codes governing the 50 states and the top 100 US cities by population through the lens of a series of research questions related to police hiring, training, and discipline.
Some of the hiring, training, and discipline standards for police officers not established by statutes or regulations arise from negotiations with police unions. Those negotiations are often codified in collective bargaining agreements (CBAs). Those agreements are the contracts that states and cities sign following negotiations with police unions. Some states and cities restrict collective bargaining, but may still negotiate with police unions using other methods. After negotiating with the unions, those jurisdictions sometimes establish police standards through documents including memoranda of understanding or meet and confer agreements.
Results
The tables below link to each question Ballotpedia used to analyze the states and cities and indicate how Connecticut handles police hiring, training, and discipline. To see the provisions Ballotpedia used to support these results, click here.
CBA basics
| CBA basics | Results |
|---|---|
| Is there a CBA with the police union? | YES |
| Is the current CBA publicly available online? | YES |
Discipline and accountability
| Discipline and accountability | Results |
|---|---|
| Does the CBA contain provisions related to discipline for misconduct? | YES |
Primary discipline authority: State Police Department; Types: Serious or formal discipline (dismissal, demotion, suspension, transfer, loss of off-duty car use for more than 15 days); oral reprimands and constructive criticism precede formal discipline for areas of inefficiency and incompetency, but are not required for neglect, insubordination, or willful misconduct Restricted aspects: N/A; Challenge/appeal process: N/AThe CBA states that "In the area of inefficient or incompetent performance, oral reprimands and constructive criticism should ordinarily precede formal disciplinary procedures; however, no such warning is necessary with respect to neglect of duty, insubordination or willful misconduct." The CBA sets progressive discipline practices and standard but does not require strict application in every case. The CBA defines the following as serious discipline (1) Dismissal, (2) Demotion, (3) Suspension, (4) Transfers, (5) Loss of off-duty use of car for a period of more than 15 days. Disciplinary transfers have certain criteria and must be classified as such and be subject to notification and other requirements for formal disciplinary action. | |
| Does the CBA forbid the transfer or reassignment of an officer as a form of discipline? | NO |
| Do officers have a right to request third-party arbitration for grievances, including over disciplinary actions? | NO |
| Does the CBA explicitly allow for a state ombudsman outside particular police departments to hold law enforcement officers accountable for misconduct? | NO |
Legal limitations or provisions
Training and counseling
Community relations and oversight
| Community relations and oversight | Results |
|---|---|
| Does the CBA reference citizen review boards? | NO |
| Does the CBA have provisions related to community policing? | NO |
Investigations
| Investigations | Results |
|---|---|
| Does the CBA contain provisions related to misconduct investigations? | YES |
Grievance procedure is vague, but procedure could potentially cover misconduct investigations | |
| Does the CBA require notice to officers of investigations? | NO |
| Does the CBA determine a timeline for investigations? | NO |
| Does the CBA contain provisions related to compensation during misconduct investigations? | NO |
Evidence and records
| Evidence and records | Results |
|---|---|
| Does the CBA have provisions related to the use of body-worn cameras or body-worn camera video evidence? | NO |
| Does the CBA regulate processes for retaining officer disciplinary records? | YES |
Record storage: State-run database; Storage authority: State Police Headquarters; Types of records: All material related to personnel status, including disciplinary files, goes into an officer's personnel file; Timeline: Derogatory material shall be removed after 1 year; Access and use: Employees have access to their personnel file; Use in decisions: N/A | |
Qualifications and evaluation
| Qualifications and evaluation | Results |
|---|---|
| Does the CBA require performance evaluations? | YES |
Performance evaluations required at least once a year Performance evaluations are required at least annually in advance of the employee's employment anniversary date to permit the exhaustion of the appeal process; evaluations are used to determine promotions and lateral assignments | |
| Does the CBA restrict licensing procedures for law enforcement officers or departments? | NO |
Union authority
| Union authority | Results |
|---|---|
| Does the CBA limit union authority to pay and benefits issues? | NO |
| Does the CBA give the union the power to approve or disapprove new training programs for law enforcement officers? | NO |
| Does the CBA have provisions involving the union in the process for promotions, unit assignments, and transfers? | YES |
Department shall provide union leadership prior to selection process with numerical matrix being used for selection. Union leadership shall not share this with membership. OLR File is grievance dispute resolved with additional language added to CBA regarding matrix being used by the department for selection to particular positions. The department agrees to provide union leadership with numerical matrix prior to selection process. (p6) Union leadership shall be notified of selection prior to announcement and shall have the opportunity to file a grievance if they think CBA was violated. | |
See also
Footnotes
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