Sec. 51-277a. Investigation of the use of deadly physical force by peace officers.
Sec. 51-277a. Investigation of the use of deadly physical force by peace officers.
(a) Whenever a peace officer, in the performance of his duties, uses deadly physical
force upon another person and such person dies as a result thereof, the Division of
Criminal Justice shall cause an investigation to be made and shall have the responsibility
of determining whether the use of deadly physical force by the peace officer was appropriate under section 53a-22. The division shall request the appropriate law enforcement
agency to provide such assistance as is necessary to determine the circumstances of the
incident.
(b) In causing such an investigation to be made, the Chief State's Attorney may, as
provided in section 51-281, designate a prosecutorial official from a judicial district
other than the judicial district in which the incident occurred to conduct the investigation
or may, as provided in subsection (a) of section 51-285, appoint a special assistant state's
attorney or special deputy assistant state's attorney to conduct the investigation. If the
Chief State's Attorney designates a prosecutorial official from another judicial district
or appoints a special prosecutor to conduct the investigation, the Chief State's Attorney
shall, upon the request of such prosecutorial official or special prosecutor, appoint a
special inspector or special inspectors to assist in such investigation. Any person may
make a written request to the Chief State's Attorney or the Criminal Justice Commission
requesting that the Chief State's Attorney so designate a prosecutorial official from
another judicial district or appoint a special prosecutor to conduct the investigation.
(c) Upon the conclusion of the investigation of the incident, the division shall file
a report with the Chief State's Attorney which shall contain the following: (1) The
circumstances of the incident, (2) a determination of whether the use of deadly physical
force by the peace officer was appropriate under section 53a-22, and (3) any future
action to be taken by the Division of Criminal Justice as a result of the incident. The
Chief State's Attorney shall provide a copy of the report to the chief executive officer
of the municipality in which the incident occurred and to the Commissioner of Public
Safety or the chief of police of such municipality, as the case may be.
(P.A. 88-199; P.A. 90-230, S. 66, 101; P.A. 98-48, S. 1.)
History: P.A. 90-230 corrected the reference to "deadly physical force" in Subsec. (a); P.A. 98-48 added Subsec. (b)
authorizing the designation of a prosecutorial official from another judicial district or the appointment of a special prosecutor
to conduct the investigation, requiring the appointment of special inspectors when requested and authorizing any person
to make a written request for the designation of a prosecutorial official from another judicial district or the appointment
of a special prosecutor to conduct the investigation and relettered former Subsec. (b) as Subsec. (c).