AN ACT ENHANCING THE INVESTIGATIVE AUTHORITY OF THE INSPECTOR GENERAL AND ESTABLISHING PROTECTED AREAS.

Senate
sSB91 / File No. 491 1

General Assembly File No. 491
February Session, 2026 Substitute Senate Bill No. 91

Senate, April 8, 2026

The Committee on Judiciary reported through SEN. WINFIELD
of the 10th Dist., Chairperson of the Committee on the part of
the Senate, that the substitute bill ought to pass.

AN ACT ENHANCING THE INVESTIGATIVE AUTHORITY OF THE
INSPECTOR GENERAL AND ESTABLISHING PROTECTED AREAS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:

Section 1. Section 51 -277a of the 2026 supplement to the general 1
statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof 2
(Effective from passage): 3
(a) (1) As used in this section: 4
(A) "Peace officer" means a member of the Division of State Police 5
within the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection or 6
an organized local police department, a chief inspector or inspector in 7
the Division of Criminal Justice, a state marshal while exercising 8
authority granted under any provision of the general statutes, a judicial 9
marshal in the performance of the duties of a judicial marshal, a 10
conservation officer or special conservation officer, as defined in section 11
26-5, a constable who performs criminal law enforcement duties, a 12
special policeman appointed under section 29 -18, 29-18a, 29-18b or 29-13
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19, an adult probation officer, an official of the Department of Correction 14
authorized by the Commissioner of Correction to make arrests in a 15
correctional institution or facility, any investigator in the investigations 16
unit of the office of the State Treasurer, an inspector of motor vehicles in 17
the Department of Motor Vehicles, who is certified under the provisions 18
of sections 7 -294a to 7 -294e, inclusive, any federal law enforcement 19
officer as defined under 18 USC 115(c)(1) and 34 USC 50301(5), or a 20
member of a law enforcement unit of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe or 21
the Mohegan Tribe of Indians of Connecticut created and governed by 22
a memorandum of agreement under section 47-65c who is certified as a 23
police officer by the Police Officer Standards and Training Council 24
pursuant to sections 7-294a to 7-294e, inclusive; 25
(B) "Deadly physical force" has the same meaning as provided in 26
section 53a-3; and 27
(C) "Electronic defense weapon" has the same meaning as provided 28
in section 53a-3. 29
[(a) (1) ] (2) Whenever a peace officer, in the performance of such 30
officer's duties, uses physical force upon another person and such 31
person dies as a result thereof or uses deadly physical force [, as defined 32
in section 53a-3,] upon another person, the Division of Criminal Justice 33
shall cause an investigation to be made and the Inspector General shall 34
have the responsibility of determining whether the use of physical force 35
by the peace officer was justifiable under section 53a-22, as amended by 36
this act. The use of an electronic defense weapon [, as defined in section 37
53a-3,] by a peace officer shall not be considered deadly physical force 38
for purposes of this section. 39
[(2)] (3) (A) Except as provided under subdivision [(1)] (2) of this 40
subsection, whenever a person dies in the custody of a peace officer or 41
law enforcement agency, the Inspector General shall investigate and 42
determine whether physical force was used by a peace officer upon the 43
deceased person, and if so, whether the use of physical force by the 44
peace officer was justifiable under section 53a -22, as amended by this 45
act. If the Inspector General determines the deceased person may have 46
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died as a result of criminal action not involving the use of force by a 47
peace officer, the Inspector General shall refer such case to the Chief 48
State's Attorney or a state's attorney for potential prosecution. 49
(B) Except as provided under subdivision [(1)] (2) of this subsection 50
or subparagraph (A) of this subdivision, [(2) of this subsection, ] 51
whenever a person dies in the custody of the Commissioner of 52
Correction, the Inspector General shall investigate and determine 53
whether the deceased person may have died as a result of criminal 54
action, and, if so, refer such case to the Chief State's Attorney or a state's 55
attorney for potential prosecution. 56
[(3)] (4) Whenever a person who (A) is a next of kin of a deceased 57
person, (B) is not notified of such deceased person's death as required 58
pursuant to section 7 -294mm and no other person who is a next of kin 59
of the deceased person was so notified, and (C) requests of the Office of 60
the Inspector General an investigation of the lack of notification or 61
timely notification of such death, the Inspector General shall investigate 62
and determine whether there was any malfeasance on the part of a peace 63
officer, except for a federal law enforcement officer, or a supervisor of 64
the peace officer , except for a federal law enforcement officer, in the 65
failure to provide such notification or timely notification, and if so, may 66
make recommendations to the Police Officer Standards and Training 67
Council established under section 7 -294b concerning censure, 68
suspension, renewal, cancelation or revocation of the peace officer's or 69
supervisor's certification, provided any such recommendation may be 70
made to said council only in a case where such failure is found to be 71
intentional or made with reckless indifference. If there is no finding that 72
such failure was intentional or made with reckless indifference, a 73
recommendation may be made to the officer's or supervisor's employing 74
agency for any further disciplinary action as so determined by such 75
employing agency. 76
[(4)] (5) The Inspector General shall request the appropriate law 77
enforcement agency to provide such assistance as is necessary to 78
investigate and make a determination under subdivision [(1), (2) or (3)] 79
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(2), (3) or (4) of this subsection. 80
[(5)] (6) Whenever a peace officer, in the performance of such officer's 81
duties, uses physical force or deadly physical force upon another person 82
and such person dies as a result thereof, the Inspector General shall 83
complete a preliminary status report that shall include, but need not be 84
limited to, (A) the name of the deceased person, (B) the gender, race, 85
ethnicity and age of the deceased person, (C) the date, time and location 86
of the injury causing such death, (D) the law enforcement agency 87
involved, (E) the status on the toxicology report, if available, and (F) the 88
death certificate, if available. The Inspector General shall complete the 89
report and submit a copy of such report not later than five business days 90
after the cause of the death is available to the Chief State's Attorney and, 91
in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a, to the joint standing 92
committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters 93
relating to the judiciary and public safety. 94
(b) Upon the conclusion of the investigation of an incident described 95
in subdivision [(1) or ] (2) or (3) of subsection (a) of this section, the 96
Inspector General shall file a report with the Chief State's Attorney 97
which shall contain the following: (1) The circumstances of the incident, 98
(2) a determination of whether the use of physical force by the peace 99
officer was justifiable under section 53a-22, as amended by this act, and 100
(3) any recommended future action to be taken by the Office of the 101
Inspector General as a result of the incident. The Chief State's Attorney 102
shall provide a copy of the report to the chief executive officer of the 103
municipality in which the incident occurred and to the Commissioner 104
of Emergency Services and Public Protection or the chief of police of 105
such municipality, as the case may be, and shall make such report 106
available to the public on the Division of Criminal Justice's Internet web 107
site not later than forty-eight hours after the copies are provided to the 108
chief executive officer and the commissioner or chief of police. 109
(c) The Office of the Inspector General shall prosecute any case in 110
which the Inspector General determines that (1) the use of force by a 111
peace officer was not justifiable under section 53a -22, as amended by 112
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this act, or (2) there was a failure to intervene in such incident or to 113
report any such incident, as required under subsection (a) of section 7 -114
282e or section 18-81nn. 115
Sec. 2. Section 53a -22 of the 2026 supplement to the general statutes 116
is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from 117
passage): 118
(a) (1) For purposes of this section: [, a] (A) A reasonable belief that a 119
person has committed an offense means a reasonable belief in facts or 120
circumstances which if true would in law constitute an offense. If the 121
believed facts or circumstances would not in law constitute an offense, 122
an erroneous though not unreasonable belief that the law is otherwise 123
does not render justifiable the use of physical force to make an arrest or 124
to prevent an escape from custody ; and (B) notwithstanding the 125
provisions of subdivision (9) of section 53a -3, "peace officer" has the 126
same meaning as provided in section 51-277a, as amended by this act. 127
(2) A peace officer or an authorized official of the Department of 128
Correction or the Board of Pardons and Paroles who is effecting an 129
arrest pursuant to a warrant or preventing an escape from custody is 130
justified in using the physical force prescribed in subsections (b), (c) and 131
(d) of this section unless such warrant is invalid and is known by such 132
officer to be invalid. 133
(b) Except as provided in subsection (a) or (d) of this section, a peace 134
officer or an authorized official of the Department of Correction or the 135
Board of Pardons and Paroles is justified in using physical force upon 136
another person when and to the extent that he or she reasonably believes 137
such use to be necessary to: (1) Effect an arrest or prevent the escape 138
from custody of a person whom he or she reasonably believes to have 139
committed an offense, unless he or she knows that the arrest or custody 140
is unauthorized; or (2) defend himself or herself or a third person from 141
the use or imminent use of physical force while effecting or attempting 142
to effect an arrest or while preventing or attempting to prevent an 143
escape. 144
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(c) (1) Except as provided in subsection (d) of this section, a peace 145
officer or an authorized official of the Department of Correction or the 146
Board of Pardons and Paroles is justified in using deadly physical force 147
upon another person for the purposes specified in subsection (b) of this 148
section only when his or her actions are objectively reasonable under the 149
given circumstances at that time, and: 150
(A) He or she reasonably believes such use to be necessary to defend 151
himself or herself or a third person from the use or imminent use of 152
deadly physical force; or 153
(B) He or she (i) has reasonably determined that there are no available 154
reasonable alternatives to the use of deadly physical force, (ii) 155
reasonably believes that the force employed creates no unreasonable 156
risk of injury to a third party, and (iii) reasonably believes such use of 157
force to be necessary to (I) effect an arrest of a person whom he or she 158
reasonably believes has committed or attempted to commit a felony 159
which involved the infliction of serious physical injury, and if, where 160
feasible, he or she has given warning of his or her intent to use deadly 161
physical force, or (II) prevent the escape from custody of a person whom 162
he or she reasonably believes has committed a felony which involved 163
the infliction of serious physical injury and who poses a significant 164
threat of death or serious physical injury to others, and if, where feasible, 165
he or she has given warning of his or her intent to use deadly physical 166
force. 167
(2) For purposes of evaluating whether actions of a peace officer or 168
an authorized official of the Department of Correction or the Board of 169
Pardons and Paroles are reasonable under subdivision (1) of this 170
subsection, factors to be considered include, but are not limited to, 171
whether (A) the person upon whom deadly physical force was used 172
possessed or appeared to possess a deadly weapon, (B) the peace officer 173
or an authorized official of the Department of Correction or the Board 174
of Pardons and Paroles engaged in reasonable deescalation measures 175
prior to using deadly physical force, and (C) any unreasonable conduct 176
of the peace officer or an authorized official of the Department of 177
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Correction or the Board of Pardons and Paroles led to an increased risk 178
of an occurrence of the situation that precipitated the use of such force. 179
(d) A peace officer or an authorized official of the Department of 180
Correction or the Board of Pardons and Paroles is justified in using a 181
chokehold or other method of restraint applied to the neck area or that 182
otherwise impedes the ability to breathe or restricts blood circulation to 183
the brain of another person for the purposes specified in subsection (b) 184
of this section only when he or she reasonably believes such use to be 185
necessary to defend himself or herself or a third person from the use or 186
imminent use of deadly physical force. 187
(e) Except as provided in subsection (f) of this section, a person who 188
has been directed by a peace officer or an authorized official of the 189
Department of Correction or the Board of Pardons and Paroles to assist 190
such peace officer or official to effect an arrest or to prevent an escape 191
from custody is justified in using reasonable physical force when and to 192
the extent that he or she reasonably believes such to be necessary to 193
carry out such peace officer's or official's direction. 194
(f) A person who has been directed to assist a peace officer or an 195
authorized official of the Department of Correction or the Board of 196
Pardons and Paroles under circumstances specified in subsection (e) of 197
this section may use deadly physical force to effect an arrest or to 198
prevent an escape from custody only when: (1) He or she reasonably 199
believes such use to be necessary to defend himself or herself or a third 200
person from what he or she reasonably believes to be the use or 201
imminent use of deadly physical force; or (2) he or she is directed or 202
authorized by such peace officer or official to use deadly physical force, 203
unless he or she knows that the peace officer or official himself or herself 204
is not authorized to use deadly physical force under the circumstances. 205
(g) A private person acting on his or her own account is justified in 206
using reasonable physical force upon another person when and to the 207
extent that he or she reasonably believes such use to be necessary to 208
effect an arrest or to prevent the escape from custody of an arrested 209
person whom he or she reasonably believes to have committed an 210
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offense and who in fact has committed such offense; but he or she is not 211
justified in using deadly physical force in such circumstances, except in 212
defense of person as prescribed in section 53a-19. 213
(h) In determining whether use of force by a peace officer who is a 214
police officer, as defined in subsection (a) of section 29 -6d, is justified 215
pursuant to this section, the trier of fact may draw an unfavorable 216
inference from a police officer's deliberate failure in violation of section 217
29-6d to record such use of physical force. 218
Sec. 3. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2026) (a) As used in this section: 219
(1) "Protected area" means any of the following buildings or locations, 220
including the grounds of such buildings or locations and any garages or 221
parking lots utilized in the operation of such buildings or locations, 222
irrespective of whether such garages or parking lots are contiguous to 223
the buildings or locations: 224
(A) A school, including, but not limited to, a preschool, primary or 225
secondary school, vocational school or college or university; 226
(B) A medical or mental health facility, including, but not limited to, 227
a hospital, doctor's office, health clinic, vaccination or testing site, urgent 228
care center, site that serves pregnant individuals or community health 229
center; 230
(C) A place of worship or religious study, whether in a structure 231
dedicated to activities of faith or a temporary facility or location where 232
such activities take place; 233
(D) A place where children gather, including, but not limited to, a 234
playground, recreation center, child care center, before or after -school 235
care center, foster care facility, group home for children or school bus 236
stop; 237
(E) A social services establishment, including, but not limited to, a 238
crisis center, domestic violence shelter, victims services center, child 239
advocacy center, supervised visitation center, family justice center, 240
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community-based organization, facility that serves disabled persons, 241
homeless shelter, drug or alcohol counseling and treatment facility or 242
food bank, pantry or other establishment distributing food or other 243
essentials of life to people in need; 244
(F) A place where disaster or emergency response and relief is 245
provided, including, but not limited to, such places along evacuation 246
routes, where shelter or emergency supplies, food or water are being 247
distributed, or registration for disaster -related assistance or family 248
reunification is underway; 249
(G) A place where a funeral, graveside ceremony, rosary, wedding or 250
other religious or civil ceremonies or observances occur; or 251
(H) A place where there is an ongoing parade, demonstration or rally. 252
(2) "State facility" means any building, or part thereof, owned, leased, 253
occupied, controlled by or used for business by an office or agency of 254
the Executive Department, either directly or indirectly, including, but 255
not limited to, entities providing direct services on behalf of offices or 256
agencies, but not including state -owned property leased to a federal 257
entity. "State facility" includes the grounds of such facility and any 258
garages or parking lots utilized in the operation of such facility, 259
irrespective of whether such garages or parking lots are contiguous to 260
the facility. 261
(3) "Municipal facility" means any building or part thereof, owned, 262
leased, occupied, controlled by or used for business by a municipal 263
government, either directly or indirectly, including, but not limited to, 264
entities providing direct services on behalf of a municipal government. 265
"Municipal facility" includes the grounds of such facility and any 266
garages or parking lots utilized in the operation of such facility, 267
irrespective of whether such garages or parking lots are contiguous to 268
the facility. 269
(4) "Exigent circumstance" means the following: 270
(A) An enforcement action involving a national security threat; 271
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(B) An imminent risk of death, violence or physical harm to a person; 272
(C) An enforcement action involving the hot pursuit of an individual 273
who poses a public safety threat; 274
(D) An imminent risk that evidence material to a criminal case will be 275
destroyed; or 276
(E) A situation enforcement action where a safe alternative location 277
does not exist. 278
(5) "Designated individual" means any individual assigned by 279
persons responsible for operating a protected area, state facility or 280
municipal facility to review documentation provided by federal law 281
enforcement authorities. 282
(b) No representative of a federal law enforcement authority shall 283
detain, arrest or otherwise take an individual in a protected area, state 284
facility or municipal facility into custody on the basis of a civil offense, 285
unless such representative (1) is acting in the representative's official 286
capacity, and (2) has documentation demonstrating that the individual 287
to be detained, arrested or otherwise taken into custody (A) is the subject 288
of a judicial warrant, (B) has been convicted of (i) a violation of section 289
53-21 of the general statutes, 53a-56a of the general statutes, 53a-64aa of 290
the general statutes, 53a-71 of the general statutes, 53a-72a of the general 291
statutes, 53a-72b of the general statutes, 53a-90a of the general statutes, 292
53a-102a of the general statutes, 53a -196e of the general statutes, 53a -293
196f of the general statutes, 53a -196i of the general statutes, 53a -222 of 294
the general statutes or 53a-223 of the general statutes, or (ii) any class A 295
or B felony offense, or (C) is identified as a possible match in the federal 296
Terrorist Screening Database or similar database. 297
(c) Any designated individual receiving documentation pursuant to 298
subsection (b) of this section shall promptly review such 299
documentation. No representative of a federal law enforcement 300
authority shall detain, arrest or otherwise take an individual in a 301
protected area, state facility or municipal facility into custody on the 302
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basis of a civil offense who is the subject of such documentation, unless 303
the designated individual determines, based upon such review, that 304
such individual (1) is the subject of a judicial warrant, (2) has been 305
convicted of (A) a violation of section 53-21 of the general statutes, 53a-306
56a of the general statutes, 53a-64aa of the general statutes, 53a-71 of the 307
general statutes, 53a -72a of the general statutes, 53a -72b of the general 308
statutes, 53a-90a of the general statutes, 53a-102a of the general statutes, 309
53a-196e of the general statutes, 53a-196f of the general statutes, 53a-196i 310
of the general statutes, 53a -222 of the general statutes or 53a -223 of the 311
general statutes, or (B) any class A or B felony offense, or (3) is identified 312
as a possible match in the federal Terrorist Screening Database or similar 313
database. 314
(d) A federal law enforcement authority may perform an enforcement 315
action at a protected area, state facility or municipal facility if an exigent 316
circumstance exists. If no such exigent circumstance exists, the federal 317
law enforcement authority shall comply with the provisions of 318
subsection (b) of this section. 319
(e) Any violation of this section shall be deemed breach of the peace 320
in the second degree and punished in accordance with the provisions of 321
section 53a-181 of the general statutes. 322
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:

Section 1 from passage 51-277a
Sec. 2 from passage 53a-22
Sec. 3 July 1, 2026 New section

Statement of Legislative Commissioners:
In Section 1, "deadly force" was changed to "deadly physical force" for
accuracy.

JUD Joint Favorable Subst.

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The following Fiscal Impact Statement and Bill Analysis are prepared for the benefit of the members of
the General Assembly, solely for purposes of information, summarization and explanation and do not
represent the intent of the General Assembly or either chamber thereof for any purpose. In general,
fiscal impacts are based upon a variety of informational sources, including the analyst’s professional
knowledge. Whenever applicable, agency data is consulted as part of the analysis, however final
products do not necessarily reflect an assessment from any specific department.

OFA Fiscal Note

State Impact:
Agency Affected Fund-Effect FY 27 $ FY 28 $
Judicial Dept. (Probation) GF - Potential
Cost
Minimal Minimal
Resources of the General Fund GF - Potential
Revenue Gain
Minimal Minimal
Note: GF=General Fund
Municipal Impact: None
Explanation
The bill, which expands a class B misdemeanor for breaching the
peace, results in a potential cost to the Judicial Department for probation
and a potential revenue gain to the General Fund from fines. 1 On
average, the marginal cost for supervision in the community is less than
$6002 each year for adults.
The bill also expands the circumstances under which there is an
investigation into a peace officer's use of physical force and is not
anticipated to result in a fiscal impact as the Division of Criminal Justice
(DCJ) has the capacity and expertise to conduct these investigations.
The Out Years
The annualized ongoing fiscal impact identified above would

1 In 2025, 13,523 offenses were recorded and $10,840 in fine revenue was collected
under 53a-181.
2 Probation marginal cost is based on services provided by private providers and only
includes costs that increase with each additional participant. This does not include a
cost for additional supervision by a probation officer unless a new offense is
anticipated to result in enough additional offenders to require additional probation
officers.
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continue into the future subject to inflation, the actual number of
offenses, and actual fines collected.

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OLR Bill Analysis
sSB 91

AN ACT ENHANCING THE INVESTIGATIVE AUTHORITY OF THE
INSPECTOR GENERAL AND ESTABLISHING PROTECTED AREAS.

SUMMARY
This bill expands the circumstances under which there is an
investigation into a peace officer’s use of physical force on someone
resulting in the person’s death or the death of a person in a peace
officer’s custody. It does this by including when the use of force is done
by, or the person is in custody of, any federal law enforcement officer.
Existing law requires the inspector general to prosecute any case in
which he finds the use of force was not justifiable.
Absent any exigent circumstances, the bill also prohibits a federal law
enforcement authority ’s representative from taking someone into
custody on the basis of a civil offense in a state or municipal facility or
in certain other locations such as schools, hospitals, and houses of
worship (“protected areas”) without documentation that the person is
subject to a judicial warrant, was convicted of certain crimes, or is a
possible match in a terrorist database. It makes a violation of this
prohibition 2nd degree breach of peace, which is a class B misdemeanor,
punishable by up to six months in prison, a fine of up to $1,000, or both.
Lastly, the bill makes technical and conforming changes.
EFFECTIVE DATE: Upon passage, except the prohibition on taking
someone into custody in certain locations is effective July 1, 2026.
USE OF FORCE INVESTIGATIONS
By law, the Division of Criminal Justice (DCJ) must investigate
whenever a peace officer, while performing his or her duties, uses
physical force on someone that causes the person’s death or uses deadly
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physical force on another person. The inspector general must decide if
the use of force was justifiable. Similarly, the law requires the inspector
general to investigate any death that happens while someone was in the
custody of peace officers or law enforcement agencies to determine
whether physical force was used on the deceased person and if it was
justifiable. The law requires the inspector general to prosecute cases
involving unjustifiable use of force by peace officers.
The bill expands this investigatory and prosecutorial authority by
applying it to the actions of any federal law enforcement officer. It does
this by including a broader definition of “peace officer” with in this
investigatory statute than what currently applies (see BACKGROUND).
Under current law, this investigatory authority over federal officers
is limited to marshals and deputy marshals and narcotics agents. The
bill instead applies it to “federal law enforcement officers,” as defined
under two federal laws. Specifically, they include any:
1. officer, agent, or employee who the law or a government agency
authorizes to prevent, detect, investigate, or prosecute a federal
crime (or supervise these actions) (18 U.S.C. § 115(c)(1)) or
2. employee, including an Amtrak or Federal Reserve law
enforcement officer, authorized by law to make arrests or
apprehensions and by the employing agency to carry firearms,
who mainly (a) prevents, detects, investigates, prosecutes, or
assists in the incarc eration of someone who violates the law (or
supervises these actions) or (b) protects government officials
against personal safety threats (34 U.S.C. § 50301(5))
Correspondingly, the bill applies this broader definition of “peace
officer” to the existing law that sets the standards for determining if use
of physical force is justifiable.
TAKING INTO CUSTODY IN STATE OR MUNICIPAL FACILITIES OR
PROTECTED AREAS
The bill generally prohibits federal law enforcement authority
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representatives from detaining, arresting, or taking someone into
custody based on a civil offense in a state or municipal facility or in a
“protected area” unless the representative (1) is acting in his or her
official capacity and (2) has documentation showing that the person is
exempt from the state’s civil detainer law protections. Specifically, the
documentation must show that the person to be detained, arrested , or
taken into custody is the subject of a judicial warrant, has been convicted
of specified crimes, or is a possible match in a terrorist database (see
BACKGROUND).
Under the bill, the federal law enforcement authority representative
must give documentation showing the warrant, crime, or database
identification to a person assigned to review these documents by the
operating authority for the facility or protected area. The bill requires
this designated person to then review the documentation promptly, and
only if the information in the documentation is determined to be true
may the detention, arrest, or custodial action proceed.
Exempt from the custody-related prohibition are enforcement actions
that occur under exigent circumstances, which the bill designates as the
following:
1. an enforcement action involving a national security threat or that
involves immediate pursuit (“hot pursuit”) of someone who is a
public safety threat;
2. imminent risk of (a) death, violence, or physical harm or (b) the
destruction of evidence that is material to a criminal case; or
3. a situation enforcement action where there is no safe alternative
location.
Locations Where Custody is Generally Prohibited
State or Municipal Facilit y. State or municipal facilities are
buildings owned, leased, occupied, controlled , or used for business by
an executive department office or agency or municipal government and
entities that provide direct services on their behalf. This includes the
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grounds and garages or parking lots that are used as part of the facilities’
operation, regardless of whether they are contiguous (in contact with
one another), but not state-owned property leased to a federal entity.
Protected Areas. The bill’s protection from being taken into custody
in certain areas applies in the following buildings or locations, including
their grounds and garages or parking lots that are used as part of their
operation, regardless of whether they are contiguous:
1. schools, ranging from preschools to colleges or universities;
2. medical or mental hea lth facilities, such as hospitals, doctors’
offices, vaccination or testing sites, or community health centers;
3. places of worship or religious study, either in a structure
dedicated to faith activities or a temporary facility or other place
where the activities happen;
4. social services establishments, such as crisis centers, shelters,
supervised visitation or family justice centers, victim services
centers, food banks or pantries, or substance counseling and
treatment facilities;
5. places for disaster or emergency response and relief, including
supply distribution sites, or places to register for disaster-related
assistance or reunite with family;
6. places where religious or civil ceremonies or observances occur,
such as for funerals, graveside services, or weddings;
7. places where children gather, such as playgrounds, recreation or
child care centers, bus stops, or group homes for children; and
8. places of ongoing parades, demonstrations, or rallies.
BACKGROUND
Civil Detainer Law Exemptions
Among other things, the state’s civil immigration detainer law
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generally prohibits law enforcement officers and certain other
professionals from (1) arresting or detaining a person under a civil
immigration detainer or (2) giving a federal immigration authority
access to interview a person in law enforcement agency custody (CGS §
54-192h, as amended by PA 25-29).
But this protection does not apply to those (1) subject to a judicial
warrant or specified order; (2) identified as a possible match in the
federal Terrorist Screening Database or a similar database; or (3)
convicted of a class A or B felony or one of the following 13 crimes,
regardless of the felony classification involved:
1. injury or risk of injury to, impairing morals of, or selling children
under age 16;
2. 2nd degree manslaughter with a firearm;
3. 1st degree strangulation or suffocation;
4. 2nd or 3rd degree sexual assault or 3rd degree sexual assault with
a firearm;
5. enticing a minor;
6. 2nd degree burglary with a firearm;
7. 2nd or 3rd degree possessing child sexual abuse material;
8. commercial sexual exploitation of a minor;
9. 1st degree violation of conditions of release; or
10. criminal violation of a protective order.
Peace Officer
Current law designates the following individuals as peace officers for
purposes of the state’s Penal Code and associated statutes: state and
local police, DCJ inspectors, state marshals exercising statutory powers,
judicial marshals performing their duties, conservation or special
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conservation officers, constables who have criminal law enforcement
duties, appointed special police officers, adult probation officers,
Department of Correction officials authorized to make arrests in a
correctional institution or facility, investigators in the State Treasurer’s
Office, certified Department of Motor Vehicles inspectors, U.S. marshals
and deputy marshals, U.S. special agents authorized to enforce federal
food and drug laws, and certified police officers of a law enforcement
unit created and governed under a state -tribal memorandum (CGS §
53a-3(9)).
Related Bills
sSB 397, favorably reported by the Judiciary Committee, also (1)
broadens the investigatory authority over peace officers’ use of force
incidents by extending it to more federal law enforcement officers and
(2) restricts taking people into custody for a civil offense in state or
municipal facilities or protected areas.
sSB 463, § 1, and sHB 5533, § 1, favorably reported by the Government
Administration and Elections Committee, generally prohibit state and
federal officers and agents from searching, detaining, or arresting
people within 250 feet of an election site.
HB 5428, favorably reported by the Judiciary Committee, among
other things, limits the inspector general’s investigations of in -custody
deaths to those that occur in a peace officer’s or law enforcement
agency’s physical custody.
COMMITTEE ACTION
Judiciary Committee
Joint Favorable Substitute
Yea 30 Nay 11 (03/23/2026)