Conn. Gen. Stat. § 7-294a (2026)

(1) “Academy” means the Connecticut Police Academy;

(2) “Applicant” means a prospective police officer who has not commenced employment or service with a law enforcement unit;

(3) “Basic training” means the minimum basic law enforcement training received by a police officer at the academy or at any other certified law enforcement training academy;

(4) “Certification” means the issuance by the Police Officer Standards and Training Council to a police officer, police training school or law enforcement instructor of a signed instrument evidencing satisfaction of the certification requirements imposed by section 7-294d, and signed by the council;

(5) “Council” means the Police Officer Standards and Training Council;

(6) “Governor” includes any person performing the functions of the Governor by authority of the law of this state;

(7) “Review training” means training received after minimum basic law enforcement training;

(8) “Law enforcement unit” means any agency or department of this state or a subdivision or municipality thereof, or, if created and governed by a memorandum of agreement under section 47-65c, of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe or the Mohegan Tribe of Indians of Connecticut, whose primary functions include the enforcement of criminal or traffic laws, the preservation of public order, the protection of life and property, or the prevention, detection or investigation of crime;

(9) “Police officer” means a sworn member of an organized local police department or of the Division of State Police within the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, an appointed constable who performs criminal law enforcement duties, a special policeman appointed under section 29-18, 29-18a, 29-18d or 29-19 or any member of a law enforcement unit who performs police duties;

(10) “Probationary candidate” means a police officer who, having satisfied preemployment requirements, has commenced employment with a law enforcement unit but who has not satisfied the training requirements provided for in section 7-294d; and

(11) “School” means any school, college, university, academy or training program approved by the council which offers law enforcement training and includes a combination of a course curriculum, instructors and facilities.

(February, 1965, P.A. 575, S. 1; 1969, P.A. 684; 1971, P.A. 571; 1972, P.A. 119, S. 2; P.A. 81-426, S. 2.; P.A. 82-357, S. 1, 8; P.A. 87-560, S. 1; P.A. 95-108, S. 2; P.A. 05-288, S. 41; P.A. 12-204, S. 1; P.A. 13-170, S. 1; July Sp. Sess. P.A. 20-1, S. 15; P.A. 24-79, S. 8.)

History: 1969 act included constables in definition of “police officer”; 1971 act excluded supervisory personnel from definition of “police officer”; 1972 act included members of special police force at The University of Connecticut, Storrs in definition of “police officer”; P.A. 81-426 redefined “police officer”, deleted the definition of “municipality” and added the following definitions: “Academy”, “applicant”, “basic training”, “certification”, “in-service training”, “law enforcement unit”, “probationary candidate” and “school”; P.A. 82-357 changed “in-service training” to “review training”, and redefined “police officer” to clearly distinguish between “part-time” and all other officers; P.A. 87-560 redefined “certification” to include the issuance of a signed instrument evidencing satisfaction of certification requirements to a police training school or a law enforcement instructor, “police officer” to delete reference to performance of police duties “twenty or more hours per week” and “probationary candidate” to delete reference to having commenced “full-time” employment, and deleted the definition of “part-time”; P.A. 95-108 renamed Municipal Police Training Council as Police Officer Standards and Training Council; P.A. 05-288 made technical changes, effective July 13, 2005; P.A. 12-204 inserted Subdiv. designators (1) to (11) and made technical changes, effective July 1, 2012; P.A. 13-170 amended Subdiv. (8) by redefining “law enforcement unit” to include an agency, organ or department of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe or the Mohegan Tribe of Indians of Connecticut if created and governed by a memorandum of agreement under Sec. 47-65c, effective June 25, 2013; July Sp. Sess. P.A. 20-1 amended introductory language to add reference to Sec. 7-291e, redefined “law enforcement unit” in Subdiv. (8) and redefined “police officer” in Subdiv. (9), effective July 31, 2020; P.A. 24-79 amended Subdiv. (9) by redefining “police officer”, effective July 1, 2024.

Cited. 13 CA 124.