# Connecticut

Connecticut’s Police Officer Standards and Training Council (POSTC) certifies police officers and may cancel or revoke certification on listed grounds, and it posts a list of decertified officers. Since 2023 the State has adopted a statewide crowd-control rule, limited civil arrests at courthouses and then at schools, hospitals and other protected places, and in May 2026 barred officers, including federal officers, from wearing face coverings while dealing with the public, with criminal penalties. The United States has sued to block the 2026 law; no ruling had issued as of October 19, 2026.

Source: https://uscli.org/officer-certification-tracker/connecticut

## At a glance

- **Certifying body:** Police Officer Standards and Training Council (POSTC), within the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection. It certifies police officers, training schools, and instructors, and may refuse to renew, suspend, cancel, or revoke certificates ([Conn. Gen. Stat. 7-294b, 7-294d](https://www.cga.ct.gov/current/pub/chap_104.htm#sec_7-294d)). Two seats for sworn officers who are not in command positions were added to the Council effective January 1, 2024, and the deputy commissioner of the Division of State Police replaced the academy’s commanding officer on May 26, 2026.
- **Statute:** Conn. Gen. Stat. 7-294a to 7-294e (Council, certification, decertification, recertification); 7-291c (hiring bar for officers dismissed for, or who left while under investigation for, serious misconduct); 7-282e (duty to intervene and report); 7-294ii (badge and name tag); 29-6d (body cameras and release of recordings); 53a-22 (use of force); 51-277a and 51-277e (Inspector General); 51-33b and 51-33c (civil arrests and masks at courthouses, 2025). Rules: Regs. Conn. State Agencies 7-294e and, from November 12, 2025, 7-294hh-1 to 7-294hh-5 (crowd control).
- **Minimum standards:** No person may be employed as a police officer for more than one year unless certified or granted an extension. Renewal and recertification require review training and a negative urinalysis drug test that screens for anabolic steroids. The Council “may establish other qualifications.” Applicants trained in another state or in the armed forces “shall” be certified if the training is equivalent and they pass the Council’s examination. Since May 4, 2026, the Council “shall not waive” any part of basic training for an applicant who is or was a peace officer as defined in 51-277a (Connecticut officers and federal law enforcement officers) unless the applicant shows a substantially equivalent program of at least 480 hours. That definition does not expressly list officers of other states, so whether the 480-hour floor reaches them is unclear. A law enforcement unit “shall not hire” a police officer who was dismissed for malfeasance or serious misconduct, or who resigned or retired while under investigation for it ([7-291c](https://www.cga.ct.gov/current/pub/chap_104.htm#sec_7-291c)). Periodic behavioral health assessments apply (7-291e).
- **Decertification:** Discretionary: the Council “may” cancel or revoke for administrative error; misrepresentation or fraud; falsified documents; a felony conviction; a finding of not guilty of a felony by reason of mental disease; a conviction under 21a-279; revocation elsewhere on equivalent grounds; or unit findings of improper firearm use causing death or serious injury, conduct that undermines public confidence (including discrimination, false reports, and racial profiling violations), excessive or unjustified force, or evidence tampering, perjury, or false statement. Notice and a hearing under chapter 54 are required, and on de novo review the Council must find grounds by clear and convincing evidence. Instead of revoking, it may suspend for up to 45 days and censure. A revoked officer may reapply after 2 years. Chiefs “shall report” listed conduct, including serious excessive force, failure to intervene, and departures covered by 7-291c ([7-294d(c), (h)](https://www.cga.ct.gov/current/pub/chap_104.htm#sec_7-294d)).
- **Public decertification list:** Yes, by practice. POSTC posts a [List of Decertified Officers](https://portal.ct.gov/despp/-/media/despp-beta/pdf/post/certification/decertifiedofficers.pdf) (revised June 11, 2026) with names, agencies, POST ID numbers, dates, and reasons, and a separate list of decertified instructors. No statute requires the list; 7-294d(g) requires only that the Council’s decertification guidance be posted online.
- **National Decertification Index:** None found. Conn. Gen. Stat. 7-294a to 7-294e, 7-291c, and the [POSTC regulations (7-294e-1 to 7-294e-24)](https://eregulations.ct.gov/eRegsPortal/Browse/RCSA/Title_7Subtitle_7-294e_HTML/) do not name the Index or any national database.
- **Continuing training:** Each police officer must complete at least 40 hours of certified review training every 3 years; the Council may grant up to one extra year (7-294d(a)(8)). Review training must include crowd control and civil disorder in each 3-year period, and basic training must include 4 hours of it (RCSA 7-294hh-4, from November 12, 2025). Statutes also require use-of-force, body-camera, and bias-free policing topics.

## Changes, 2023 to 2026

- Oct 1, 2026 — **No civil arrests at schools, hospitals, and other protected places without a judicial warrant** — Public Act 26-14 (Sub. SB 397), sec. 7 (new section) and sec. 8 (amending 51-33b) · Approved May 4, 2026; sec. 7 effective October 1, 2026; sec. 8 effective May 4, 2026 — Sec. 7: no peace officer, as defined in 51-277a (federal law enforcement officers included), “shall detain, arrest or otherwise take an individual” into custody in a protected area, state facility, or municipal facility “on the basis of a civil offense” unless the officer is acting officially and the person “is the subject of a judicial warrant.” Protected areas include schools and colleges, hospitals and urgent care centers, places of worship, child-care and social-services sites, disaster relief sites, and cemeteries, with their grounds and parking. A person aggrieved may sue for damages, including punitive damages, and injunctive relief. Sec. 8 only adds a definition of “civil offense” to the existing courthouse civil-arrest rules in 51-33b, which date from November 2025 (see below). — **For officers:** To take someone into custody for a civil offense at a school, hospital, or other protected place, you need a judicial warrant naming that person. — [Public Act 26-14](https://www.cga.ct.gov/2026/ACT/PA/PDF/2026PA-00014-R00SB-00397-PA.PDF)
- May 26, 2026 — **State Police deputy commissioner takes a Council seat** — Public Act 26-45 (Sub. HB 5291), sec. 6, amending Conn. Gen. Stat. 7-294b(b)(9) · Approved May 26, 2026; effective from passage — Council member (9) changes from the commanding officer of the Connecticut State Police Academy to the deputy commissioner of the Division of State Police, or a designee. Certification standards are unchanged. — **For officers:** No new duty for officers. — [Public Act 26-45](https://www.cga.ct.gov/2026/ACT/PA/PDF/2026PA-00045-R00HB-05291-PA.PDF)
- May 4, 2026 — **Officers, including federal officers, barred from face coverings with the public and required to wear a badge and name tag, both as crimes** — Public Act 26-14 (Sub. SB 397), sec. 6 (new section) · Approved May 4, 2026; effective from passage — The section covers every “peace officer” as defined in 51-277a, which now includes “any federal law enforcement officer as defined under 18 USC 115(c)(1) and 34 USC 50301(5).” A peace officer enforcing the laws of Connecticut, another state, or the United States “shall not wear any facial covering or personal disguise while interacting with the public.” Exceptions: medical-grade coverings for health, not identity; protection from airborne disease, smoke during a fire, or biological or chemical agents; coverings needed for water rescue; cold-weather coverings when no oral communication is needed; authorized undercover work; and face and head gear for bomb squad, motorcycle, and SWAT duty. A violation is a class D misdemeanor. An officer making a planned arrest or dealing with the public officially “shall be clearly identified by such officer’s badge and name tag,” except during authorized undercover work, when excused by the 7-294ii model policy or a court order, or when weather or traffic safety prevents it. An intentional violation is a class D misdemeanor. An officer found to have committed assault, battery, false arrest, or another listed intentional tort while masked in a knowing and wilful violation “shall not be entitled to assert any privilege or immunity” against civil liability. — The section extends to all officers and places a mask rule that, since November 2025, applied only on courthouse grounds (51-33c). Section 7-294ii already required a badge and name tag; the new section adds a criminal penalty and reaches federal officers. The United States has sued to block the act (see Pending). — **For officers:** When dealing with the public, keep your face uncovered unless an exception applies, and wear your badge and name tag on your uniform. — [Public Act 26-14](https://www.cga.ct.gov/2026/ACT/PA/PDF/2026PA-00014-R00SB-00397-PA.PDF)
- May 4, 2026 — **State civil-rights suits, Inspector General review, and prosecution extended to all federal officers** — Public Act 26-14 (Sub. SB 397), secs. 1 to 5, 10, and 11; amending 3-129g, 51-277a, 53a-22, 51-277e, and 52-571j · Approved May 4, 2026; effective from passage — Before the act, the “peace officer” definition used by 53a-22 and 51-277a already covered United States marshals and deputy marshals and federal special agents enforcing Title 21 (drug laws), and 52-571j already covered marshals. The act widens these laws to all federal law enforcement officers. Sec. 1 creates a state civil action, guided by 42 USC 1983, against any person, “including a federal or state officer or employee,” who deprives someone of federal constitutional rights under color of law. Damages, injunctive relief, and attorney’s fees are available; defendants keep the immunities an equivalent state officer would have. Sec. 2 lets the Attorney General also sue any person who, acting under color of state or federal law, deprives people of federal or state constitutional rights, without having to show a pattern or practice; the pattern-or-practice authority dates from 2021. Sec. 3: the Division of Criminal Justice and the Inspector General get an “unrestricted right to access the scene and collect evidence” of deadly-force incidents and deaths in custody, even when only federal officers were involved. The Inspector General’s next-of-kin notification inquiry excludes federal officers. Sec. 10: the law on interfering with people who record officers now covers federal special agents, and an officer who commits a listed intentional tort while interfering loses immunity. Sec. 11: in a state prosecution, a federal officer has no immunity unless the act was authorized by federal law and “necessary and proper” to official duties. — **For officers:** Interfering with someone recording you can now cost you immunity if you commit an intentional tort while doing it. — [Public Act 26-14](https://www.cga.ct.gov/2026/ACT/PA/PDF/2026PA-00014-R00SB-00397-PA.PDF)[Conn. Gen. Stat. 53a-3 (prior definition)](https://www.cga.ct.gov/current/pub/chap_950.htm#sec_53a-3)
- May 4, 2026 — **Hiring bar and training-waiver limit reach former peace officers, including federal officers** — Public Act 26-14 (Sub. SB 397), secs. 9 and 12, amending Conn. Gen. Stat. 7-294d(b) and 7-291c · Approved May 4, 2026; effective from passage — 7-291c: the bar on hiring a police officer previously dismissed for malfeasance or serious misconduct, or who resigned or retired under investigation for it, now covers prior service as a “peace officer” under 51-277a, which includes federal law enforcement officers, not only as a “police officer.” Exoneration on every allegation still lifts the bar. 7-294d(b): the Council “shall not waive any portion of the required basic training program” for a current or former peace officer unless the applicant shows “a substantially equivalent training or educational program, which includes a minimum of four hundred eighty hours of training.” The act adds that the Council is never required to waive training. Because 51-277a does not expressly list officers of other states, whether either change reaches them is unclear. — **For officers:** If you were a federal officer, a misconduct dismissal there bars hiring here, and you need 480 hours of equivalent training for any waiver. — [Public Act 26-14](https://www.cga.ct.gov/2026/ACT/PA/PDF/2026PA-00014-R00SB-00397-PA.PDF)[Conn. Gen. Stat. 7-291c (before the act)](https://www.cga.ct.gov/current/pub/chap_104.htm#sec_7-291c)
- Nov 18, 2025 — **Courthouses: civil arrests need notice to a judicial marshal, and officers may not wear masks** — November Special Session Public Act 25-3 (HB 8004), secs. 12 and 13, new Conn. Gen. Stat. 51-33b and 51-33c · Approved November 18, 2025; effective from passage — 51-33b: no representative of a local, state, or federal law enforcement authority “shall detain, arrest or otherwise take an individual on courthouse grounds into custody on the basis of a civil offense” unless acting officially and after notifying a judicial marshal and giving documentation that the person is the subject of a judicial warrant, was convicted of listed offenses or a class A or B felony, or is a possible match in the federal Terrorist Screening Database. The marshal reviews the documentation. A violation “may be deemed contempt of court,” and an aggrieved person may sue for damages or equitable relief, with attorney’s fees. 51-33c: no one enforcing the laws of Connecticut, another state, or the United States may wear a mask or face covering on courthouse grounds “unless medically necessary and with prior authorization of a judicial authority.” The section states no penalty. — **For officers:** Before a civil arrest on courthouse grounds, notify the judicial marshal and give the required documentation. — [Nov. Sp. Sess. Public Act 25-3](https://www.cga.ct.gov/2025/ACT/PA/PDF/2025PA-00003-R00HB-08004SS1-PA.PDF)[Conn. Gen. Stat. 51-33b](https://www.cga.ct.gov/2026/sup/chap_871.htm#sec_51-33b)
- Nov 12, 2025 — **Statewide crowd-control rule: name on the outer uniform, limits on chemical agents and impact munitions** — Regs. Conn. State Agencies 7-294hh-1 to 7-294hh-5 (new), POSTC tracking no. PR2024-003 · Approved by the Attorney General September 23, 2025 and by the Legislative Regulation Review Committee October 28, 2025; effective November 12, 2025 — The rule sets a minimum statewide standard for crowd management. Force in crowd incidents must follow statute and the Statewide Use of Force Policy and be “reasonable, necessary, and proportionate.” “Each police officer shall wear a badge and nameplate, on the outermost layer of their uniform, which bears the officer’s name.” Verbal abuse of officers “shall not constitute a reason for an arrest or any use of force.” Declaring an unlawful assembly needs audible, scripted warnings, given three times when feasible, and routes to leave. Impact munitions and OC spray “shall not be used indiscriminately against groups of people or passively resistant individuals.” CS gas is allowed only at the incident commander’s direction, when lesser options are unavailable or ineffective, and with a way out. Basic training must include 4 hours of crowd control, and review training must cover it every 3 years. — **For officers:** At a crowd event, your name must be on the outermost layer of your uniform, and verbal abuse alone does not justify an arrest or force. — [eRegulations PR2024-003](https://eregulations.ct.gov/eRegsPortal/Search/RMRView/PR2024-003)[Final regulation](https://eregulations.ct.gov/eRegsPortal/Search/getDocument?guid=%7B60B1789A-0000-C619-820A-862F2E8FE7E5%7D)
- Oct 1, 2025 — **Body-camera review in disciplinary investigations; release clock runs from the public request** — Public Act 25-100 (Sub. HB 7073), amending Conn. Gen. Stat. 29-6d(e) and (f) · Approved June 24, 2025; effective October 1, 2025 — An officer could already review his or her own recording to prepare a report. Now the officer also “may review” it when the officer is the subject of a disciplinary investigation in which the recording is being considered. The right to review with counsel before release applies when the officer gives a formal statement about a use of force on the recording. The right to also view other officers’ footage of the incident was removed. Release “upon request, to the public” is due 48 hours after the officer’s review or 96 hours after the public request, whichever is earlier; before, the 96 hours ran from the start of a disciplinary investigation. The 144-hour outer limit added in 2023 stays. — **For officers:** If a recording is used in your disciplinary investigation, you may review it, but the public release clock now starts with the request. — [Public Act 25-100](https://www.cga.ct.gov/2025/ACT/PA/PDF/2025PA-00100-R00HB-07073-PA.PDF)[Conn. Gen. Stat. 29-6d](https://www.cga.ct.gov/2026/sup/chap_529.htm#sec_29-6d)
- Oct 1, 2025 — **Chokeholds allowed to defend a third person; electronic defense weapons are not deadly force** — Public Act 25-29 (Sub. HB 7259), secs. 7 to 9, amending Conn. Gen. Stat. 51-277a(a)(1), 53a-3(6), and 53a-22(d) · Approved June 9, 2025; effective October 1, 2025 — 53a-22(d): a peace officer, or an authorized Correction or Pardons and Paroles official, may use a chokehold or other neck restraint “only when he or she reasonably believes such use to be necessary to defend himself or herself or a third person” from deadly physical force. Before, only self-defense was covered. 51-277a(a)(1): an officer’s use of an electronic defense weapon “shall not be considered deadly force” for the Inspector General’s mandatory investigation. 53a-3(6): “deadly weapon” does not include an electronic defense weapon used by a peace officer. — **For officers:** A chokehold is still limited to defending against deadly physical force, but now covers defending another person. — [Public Act 25-29](https://www.cga.ct.gov/2025/ACT/PA/PDF/2025PA-00029-R00HB-07259-PA.PDF)[Conn. Gen. Stat. 53a-22](https://www.cga.ct.gov/2026/sup/chap_951.htm#sec_53a-22)
- Jul 1, 2024 — **DCF special police officers brought under POST certification** — Public Act 24-79 (SB 127), sec. 8, amending Conn. Gen. Stat. 7-294a(9) · Approved May 30, 2024; effective July 1, 2024 — The “police officer” definition used for certification now includes special police officers of the Department of Children and Families appointed under section 7 of the act (codified at 29-18d), which allows no more than two such officers. Special police appointed under 29-18, 29-18a, and 29-19 were already covered. — **For officers:** DCF special police officers must meet POST certification rules. — [Public Act 24-79](https://www.cga.ct.gov/2024/ACT/PA/PDF/2024PA-00079-R00SB-00127-PA.PDF)[Conn. Gen. Stat. 7-294a](https://www.cga.ct.gov/current/pub/chap_104.htm#sec_7-294a)
- Jan 1, 2024 — **Two non-command officers added to the Council** — Public Act 23-86 (Sub. HB 6840), amending Conn. Gen. Stat. 7-294b · Approved June 27, 2023; effective January 1, 2024 — The Council gains two sworn police officers who are not in command positions: one appointed by the public safety committee chairs, and one by the Senate and House minority leaders. An obsolete pre-2021 membership provision was deleted. Standards are unchanged. — **For officers:** Rank-and-file officers now hold two seats on the body that certifies you. — [Public Act 23-86](https://www.cga.ct.gov/2023/ACT/PA/PDF/2023PA-00086-R00HB-06840-PA.PDF)[Conn. Gen. Stat. 7-294b](https://www.cga.ct.gov/current/pub/chap_104.htm#sec_7-294b)
- Oct 1, 2023 — **Body-camera release may be delayed, but not beyond 144 hours** — Public Act 23-47 (Sub. HB 6917), sec. 8, amending Conn. Gen. Stat. 29-6d(f) · Approved June 13, 2023; effective October 1, 2023 — The existing rule let an officer review a recording with counsel or a union representative before release, with release due 48 hours after the review or 96 hours after an investigation began. The act adds that release “may be delayed” if the officer cannot review the recording because of a medical, physical, or acute stress response, but never more than 144 hours after the recorded event. PA 25-100 later changed the release clock. — **For officers:** A medical or stress condition can delay release of a recording, but only up to 144 hours after the event. — [Public Act 23-47](https://www.cga.ct.gov/2023/ACT/PA/PDF/2023PA-00047-R00HB-06917-PA.PDF)[Conn. Gen. Stat. 29-6d](https://www.cga.ct.gov/2026/sup/chap_529.htm#sec_29-6d)

## Not yet in force and pending

- **Federal challenge to PA 26-14:** United States v. State of Connecticut, No. 3:26-cv-00758 (D. Conn.), filed May 15, 2026, challenges the act. The court heard the United States’ motion for a preliminary injunction and the State’s motion to dismiss on September 3, 2026, and took both under advisement. No ruling appeared on the docket as checked on October 19, 2026, so the act remains in force. [Docket (CourtListener copy of PACER)](https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73347313/united-states-v-state-of-connecticut/)

The online Connecticut statutes show the January 1, 2025 revision and the 2026 Supplement (2025 acts) only. They do not yet show PA 26-14, 26-45, or 26-12, so the online text of 7-291c, 7-294d(b), 51-277a, 53a-22, and 52-571j differs from the law in force; this page relies on the act texts. The 2025–2026 term has ended, so no bills carry over.

## Checked and unchanged

- Conn. Gen. Stat. 7-294d(c) (decertification grounds and procedure), 7-282e (duty to intervene and report), and 7-294e: no 2023–2025 amendments. PA 26-14 sec. 9 amended only 7-294d(b).
- PA 26-12 (HB 5003), sec. 66, effective October 1, 2026, adds 7-294d(a)(25) and (26): the Council sets eligibility for police tuition waivers and mortgage assistance. Benefits only.
- PA 26-45 sec. 15 only redefines “police patrol vehicle” in 29-6d(a). PA 26-45 sec. 12 restates the existing bar on licensing decertified police officers as security officers (29-161q).
- RCSA 7-294e-14 was republished August 6, 2026 only to restore an omitted subsection.
- Not counted: PA 25-160 sec. 2 (7-294vv, effective July 1, 2025) credits bleeding-control training toward basic and review training; PA 25-168 sec. 249 (7-294ww, effective June 30, 2025) told POSTC and the Juvenile Justice Policy and Oversight Committee to develop a youth diversion policy and basic-training curriculum by February 1, 2026; PA 24-15 (body-camera guidelines and training); PA 25-161 (Department of Correction staff, outside POST certification).