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Senate
SB402 / File No. 301 1
General Assembly File No. 301
February Session, 2026 Senate Bill No. 402
Senate, April 1, 2026
The Committee on Public Safety and Security reported through
SEN. GASTON of the 23rd Dist., Chairperson of the Committee
on the part of the Senate, that the bill ought to pass.
AN ACT REVISING THE DEFINITION OF "RETIRED POLICE
OFFICER" FOR PURPOSES OF CERTAIN PROVISIONS REGARDING
SCHOOL SECURITY SERVICES.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. Section 10 -244a of the general statutes is repealed and the 1
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2026): 2
(a) For the school year commencing July 1, 2013, and each school year 3
thereafter, no municipality or local or regional board of education may 4
employ or enter into an agreement, as described in subdivision (2) of 5
subsection (b) of section 53a-217b, with any person, other than a sworn 6
member of an organized local police department or a retired police 7
officer as provided in subsection (b) of this section, to provide security 8
services in a public school if such person will possess a firearm, as 9
defined in section 53a-3, while in the performance of his or her duties. 10
(b) A municipality or a local or regional board of education may 11
employ or enter into an agreement with a retired police officer to 12
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provide security services in a public school if such retired police officer 13
is a qualified retired law enforcement officer, as defined in 18 USC 926C, 14
as amended from time to time. Such retired police officer shall receive 15
annual training pursuant to section 7 -294x and shall successfully 16
complete annual firearms training provided by a certified firearms 17
instructor that meets or exceeds the standards of the Police Officer 18
Standards and Training Council or 18 USC 926C, as amended from time 19
to time. Such retired police officer shall not be subject to the licensing 20
requirements of part II of chapter 534. 21
(c) For the purposes of subsection (b) of this section, "retired police 22
officer" means (1) a sworn member of an organized local police 23
department who was certified by the Police Officer Standards and 24
Training Council, [and] retired or separated in good standing from such 25
department [or] and is not prohibited from being hired by a law 26
enforcement unit pursuant to section 7-291c, (2) a sworn member of the 27
Division of State Police within the Department of Emergency Services 28
and Public Protection who retired or separated in good standing from 29
said division [, (2) ] and is not prohibited from being hired by a law 30
enforcement unit pursuant to section 7 -291c, (3) a sworn federal law 31
enforcement agent who retired or separated in good standing from such 32
federal law enforcement service, is not prohibited from being hired by a 33
law enforcement unit pursuant to section 7 -291c and [who] meets or 34
exceeds the standards of the Police Officer Standards and Training 35
Council for certification in this state, or [(3)] (4) a sworn officer of an 36
organized police department in another state who was certified under 37
standards that meet or exceed the standards of the Police Officer 38
Standards and Training Council for certification in this state, [and who] 39
retired or separated in good standing from such department and is not 40
prohibited from being hired by a law enforcement unit pursuant to 41
section 7-291c. 42
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 October 1, 2026 10-244a
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PS Joint Favorable
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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: None
Municipal Impact: None
Explanation
The bill specifies that school districts cannot hire security or police
officers who will possess a firearm if they are prohibited from being
hired by a law enforcement unit. The bill has no fiscal impact as it is not
expected to increase security costs incurred by school districts.
The Out Years
State Impact: None
Municipal Impact: None
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OLR Bill Analysis
SB 402
AN ACT REVISING THE DEFINITION OF "RETIRED POLICE
OFFICER" FOR PURPOSES OF CERTAIN PROVISIONS
REGARDING SCHOOL SECURITY SERVICES.
SUMMARY
This bill disqualifies anyone who is prohibited from being hired by a
law enforcement unit from being hired to provide armed security
services in public schools as a retire d police officer. Existing law,
unchanged by the bill, limits who a municipality or board of education
can employ or contract with for these services to (1) sworn members of
local police departments and (2) retired police officers.
By law, law enforcement units cannot hire someone who was
previously employed as a police officer and (1) was dismissed for
malfeasance or serious misconduct calling into question his or her
fitness to serve as an officer or (2) resigned or retired during an
investigation into such conduct.
In addition to the bill’s disqualification, existing law generally limits
who can qualify as a retired police officer to those who (1) served with
a local police department, the State Police, a federal law enforcement
agency, or an out -of-state police department, (2) left in good standing,
and ( 3) are a “qualified retired law enforcement officer” under the
federal Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act.
EFFECTIVE DATE: October 1, 2026
BACKGROUND
Malfeasance and Serious Misconduct
Under existing law, “malfeasance” has its common meaning (i.e. a
wrongful, unlawful, or dishonest act) and “serious misconduct” means
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an officer’s improper or illegal actions connected with official duties that
could cause a miscarriage of justice or discrimination, such as a felony
conviction, evidence fabrication, repeated use of excessive force, bribe
acceptance, or fraud.
Related Bills
sSB 397, § 11, favorably reported by the Judiciary Committee ,
modifies the law restricting law enforcement unit hirings so that it
applies against specified peace officers instead of police officers.
sHB 5323, § 6, favorably reported by the Education Committee, (1)
allows qualifying former parole officers, under certain conditions, to be
armed security guards in public schools and (2) makes retired officers
who left due to disciplinary action or while under investigation or while
a disciplinary action was pending ineligible to provide these services.
COMMITTEE ACTION
Public Safety and Security Committee
Joint Favorable
Yea 29 Nay 0 (03/17/2026)