2022 Connecticut General Statutes
Title 29 - Public Safety and State Police
Chapter 529 - Division of State Police
Section 29-6d. - *(See end of section for amended version and effective date.) Use of body-worn recording equipment. When recording prohibited. Retention of data.

(a) For purposes of this section and section 7-277b:

(1) “Law enforcement agency” means the Division of State Police within the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, the special police forces established pursuant to section 10a-156b and any municipal police department that supplies any of its sworn members with body-worn recording equipment;

(2) “Police officer” means a sworn member of a law enforcement agency who wears body-worn recording equipment;

(3) “Body-worn recording equipment” means an electronic recording device that is capable of recording audio and video; and

(4) “Digital data storage device or service” means a device or service that retains the data from the recordings made by body-worn recording equipment using computer data storage.

(b) The Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection and the Police Officer Standards and Training Council shall jointly evaluate and approve the minimal technical specifications of body-worn recording equipment that may be worn by police officers pursuant to this section and digital data storage devices or services that may be used by a law enforcement agency to retain the data from the recordings made by such equipment. Not later than January 1, 2016, the commissioner and council shall make such minimal technical specifications available to each law enforcement agency in a manner determined by the commissioner and council. The commissioner and council may revise the minimal technical specifications when the commissioner and council determine that revisions to such specifications are necessary.

(c) (1) On and after July 1, 2019, each sworn member of (A) the Division of State Police within the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, (B) the special police forces established pursuant to section 10a-156b, (C) any municipal police department for a municipality that is a recipient of grant-in-aid as reimbursement for body-worn recording equipment pursuant to subparagraph (A), (B) or (D) of subdivision (1) of subsection (b) of section 7-277b or subdivision (2) of said subsection (b), and (D) any municipal police department for any other municipality that is a recipient of grant-in-aid as reimbursement for body-worn recording equipment pursuant to subparagraph (C) of subdivision (1) of said subsection (b) if such sworn member is supplied with such body-worn recording equipment, shall use body-worn recording equipment while interacting with the public in such sworn member's law enforcement capacity, except as provided in subsection (g) of this section, or in the case of a municipal police department, in accordance with the department's policy, if adopted by the department and based on guidelines maintained pursuant to subsection (j) of this section, concerning the use of body-worn recording equipment.

(2) Any sworn member of a municipal police department, other than those described in subdivision (1) of this subsection, may use body-worn recording equipment as directed by such department, provided the use of such equipment and treatment of data created by such equipment shall be in accordance with the provisions of subdivisions (3) and (4) of this subsection, and subsections (d) to (j), inclusive, of this section.

(3) Each police officer shall wear body-worn recording equipment on such officer's outer-most garment and shall position such equipment above the midline of such officer's torso when using such equipment.

(4) Body-worn recording equipment used pursuant to this section shall conform to the minimal technical specifications approved pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, except that a police officer may use body-worn recording equipment that does not conform to the minimal technical specifications approved pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, if such equipment was purchased prior to January 1, 2016, by the law enforcement agency employing such officer.

(d) Except as required by state or federal law, no person employed by a law enforcement agency shall edit, erase, copy, share or otherwise alter or distribute in any manner any recording made by body-worn recording equipment or the data from such recording.

(e) A police officer may review a recording from his or her body-worn recording equipment in order to assist such officer with the preparation of a report or otherwise in the performance of his or her duties.

(f) (1) If a police officer is giving a formal statement about the use of force or if a police officer is the subject of a disciplinary investigation in which a recording from body-worn recording equipment or a dashboard camera with a remote recorder, as defined in subsection (c) of section 7-277b, is being considered as part of a review of an incident, the officer shall have the right to review (A) such recording in the presence of the officer's attorney or labor representative, and (B) recordings from other body-worn recording equipment capturing the officer's image or voice during the incident. Not later than forty-eight hours following an officer's review of a recording under subparagraph (A) of this subdivision, or if the officer does not review the recording, not later than ninety-six hours following the initiation of such disciplinary investigation, whichever is earlier, such recording shall be disclosed, upon request, to the public, subject to the provisions of subsection (g) of this section.

(2) If a request is made for public disclosure of a recording from body-worn recording equipment or a dashboard camera of an incident about which (A) a police officer has not been asked to give a formal statement about the alleged use of force, or (B) a disciplinary investigation has not been initiated, any police officer whose image or voice is captured on the recording shall have the right to review such recording in the presence of the officer's attorney or labor representative. Not later than forty-eight hours following an officer's review of a recording under this subdivision, or if the officer does not review the recording, not later than ninety-six hours following the request for disclosure, whichever is earlier, such recording shall be disclosed to the public, subject to the provisions of subsection (g) of this section.

(g) (1) Except as otherwise provided by any agreement between a law enforcement agency and the federal government, no police officer shall use body-worn recording equipment to intentionally record (A) a communication with other law enforcement agency personnel, except that which may be recorded as the officer performs his or her duties, (B) an encounter with an undercover officer or informant, (C) when an officer is on break or is otherwise engaged in a personal activity, (D) a person undergoing a medical or psychological evaluation, procedure or treatment, (E) any person other than a suspect to a crime if an officer is wearing such equipment in a hospital or other medical facility setting, or (F) in a mental health facility, unless responding to a call involving a suspect to a crime who is thought to be present in the facility.

(2) No record created using body-worn recording equipment of (A) an occurrence or situation described in subparagraphs (A) to (F), inclusive, of subdivision (1) of this subsection, (B) a scene of an incident that involves (i) a victim of domestic or sexual abuse, (ii) a victim of homicide or suicide, or (iii) a deceased victim of an accident, if disclosure could reasonably be expected to constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy in the case of any such victim described in this subparagraph, or (C) a minor, shall be subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act, as defined in section 1-200, and any such record shall be confidential, except that a record of a minor shall be disclosed if (i) the minor and the parent or guardian of such minor consent to the disclosure of such record, (ii) a police officer is the subject of an allegation of misconduct made by such minor or the parent or guardian of such minor, and the person representing such officer in an investigation of such alleged misconduct requests disclosure of such record for the sole purpose of preparing a defense to such allegation, or (iii) a person is charged with a crime and defense counsel for such person requests disclosure of such record for the sole purpose of assisting in such person's defense and the discovery of such record as evidence is otherwise discoverable.

(h) No police officer shall use body-worn recording equipment prior to being trained in accordance with section 7-294s in the use of such equipment and in the retention of data created by such equipment, except that any police officer using such equipment prior to October 1, 2015, may continue to use such equipment prior to such training. A law enforcement agency shall ensure that each police officer such agency employs receives such training at least annually and is trained on the proper care and maintenance of such equipment.

(i) If a police officer is aware that any body-worn recording equipment is lost, damaged or malfunctioning, such officer shall inform such officer's supervisor as soon as is practicable. Upon receiving such information, the supervisor shall ensure that the equipment is inspected and repaired or replaced, as necessary. Each police officer shall inspect and test body-worn recording equipment prior to each shift to verify proper functioning, and shall notify such officer's supervisor of any problems with such equipment.

(j) The Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection and the Police Officer Standards and Training Council shall jointly maintain guidelines pertaining to the use of body-worn recording equipment, retention of data created by such equipment and methods for safe and secure storage of such data. Each law enforcement agency and any police officer and any other employee of such agency who may have access to such data shall adhere to such guidelines. The commissioner and council may update and reissue such guidelines, as the commissioner and council determine necessary. The commissioner and council shall, upon issuance of such guidelines or any update to such guidelines, submit such guidelines in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to the judiciary and public safety.

(June Sp. Sess. P.A. 15-4, S. 7; P.A. 16-33, S. 1; P.A. 17-225, S. 3, 4; P.A. 19-11, S. 2; 19-90, S. 2; P.A. 21-33, S. 2.)

*Note: On and after July 1, 2022, this section, as amended by section 19 of public act 20-1 of the July special session, section 3 of public act 21-33 and section 26 of public act 21-40, is to read as follows:

“Sec. 29-6d. Use of body-worn recording equipment and dashboard cameras. When recording prohibited. Retention of data. (a) For purposes of this section and section 7-277b:

(1) “Law enforcement unit” has the same meaning as provided in section 7-294a;

(2) “Police officer” means a sworn member of a law enforcement unit or any member of a law enforcement unit who performs police duties;

(3) “Body-worn recording equipment” means an electronic recording device that is capable of recording audio and video;

(4) “Dashboard camera” means a dashboard camera with a remote recorder, as defined in section 7-277b;

(5) “Digital data storage device or service” means a device or service that retains the data from the recordings made by body-worn recording equipment using computer data storage; and

(6) “Police patrol vehicle” means any state or local police vehicle other than an administrative vehicle in which an occupant is wearing body-worn camera equipment, a bicycle, a motor scooter, an all-terrain vehicle, an electric personal assistive mobility device, as defined in subsection (a) of section 14-289h, or an animal control vehicle.

(b) The Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection and the Police Officer Standards and Training Council shall jointly evaluate and approve the minimal technical specifications of body-worn recording equipment that shall be worn by police officers pursuant to this section, dashboard cameras that shall be used in each police patrol vehicle and digital data storage devices or services that shall be used by a law enforcement unit to retain the data from the recordings made by such equipment. The commissioner and council shall make such minimal technical specifications available to each law enforcement unit in a manner determined by the commissioner and council. The commissioner and council may revise the minimal technical specifications when the commissioner and council determine that revisions to such specifications are necessary.

(c) (1) Each police officer shall use body-worn recording equipment while interacting with the public in such sworn member's law enforcement capacity, except as provided in subsection (g) of this section, or in the case of a municipal police department, in accordance with the department's policy adopted by the department and based on guidelines maintained pursuant to subsection (j) of this section, concerning the use of body-worn recording equipment.

(2) Each police officer shall wear body-worn recording equipment on such officer's outer-most garment and shall position such equipment above the midline of such officer's torso when using such equipment.

(3) Body-worn recording equipment used pursuant to this section shall conform to the minimal technical specifications approved pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, except that a police officer may use body-worn recording equipment that does not conform to the minimal technical specifications approved pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, if such equipment was purchased prior to January 1, 2016, by the law enforcement unit employing such officer.

(4) Each law enforcement unit shall require usage of a dashboard camera in each police patrol vehicle used by any police officer employed by such unit in accordance with the unit's policy adopted by the unit and based on guidelines maintained pursuant to subsection (j) of this section, concerning dashboard cameras.

(d) Except as required by state or federal law, no person employed by a law enforcement unit shall edit, erase, copy, share or otherwise alter or distribute in any manner any recording made by body-worn recording equipment or a dashboard camera or the data from such recording.

(e) A police officer may review a recording from his or her body-worn recording equipment or a dashboard camera in order to assist such officer with the preparation of a report or otherwise in the performance of his or her duties.

(f) (1) If a police officer is giving a formal statement about the use of force or if a police officer is the subject of a disciplinary investigation in which a recording from body-worn recording equipment or a dashboard camera is being considered as part of a review of an incident, the officer shall have the right to review (A) such recording in the presence of the officer's attorney or labor representative, and (B) recordings from other body-worn recording equipment capturing the officer's image or voice during the incident. Not later than forty-eight hours following an officer's review of a recording under subparagraph (A) of this subdivision, or if the officer does not review the recording, not later than ninety-six hours following the initiation of such disciplinary investigation, whichever is earlier, such recording shall be disclosed, upon request, to the public, subject to the provisions of subsection (g) of this section.

(2) If a request is made for public disclosure of a recording from body-worn recording equipment or a dashboard camera of an incident about which (A) a police officer has not been asked to give a formal statement about the alleged use of force, or (B) a disciplinary investigation has not been initiated, any police officer whose image or voice is captured on the recording shall have the right to review such recording in the presence of the officer's attorney or labor representative. Not later than forty-eight hours following an officer's review of a recording under this subdivision, or if the officer does not review the recording, not later than ninety-six hours following the request for disclosure, whichever is earlier, such recording shall be disclosed to the public, subject to the provisions of subsection (g) of this section.

(g) (1) Except as otherwise provided by any agreement between a law enforcement unit and the federal government, no police officer shall use body-worn recording equipment or a dashboard camera, if applicable, to intentionally record (A) a communication with other law enforcement unit personnel, except that which may be recorded as the officer performs his or her duties, (B) an encounter with an undercover officer or informant or an officer performing detective work described in guidelines developed pursuant to subsection (j) of this section, (C) when an officer is on break or is otherwise engaged in a personal activity, (D) a person undergoing a medical or psychological evaluation, procedure or treatment, (E) any person other than a suspect to a crime if an officer is wearing such equipment in a hospital or other medical facility setting, or (F) in a mental health facility, unless responding to a call involving a suspect to a crime who is thought to be present in the facility.

(2) No record created using body-worn recording equipment or a dashboard camera of (A) an occurrence or situation described in subparagraphs (A) to (F), inclusive, of subdivision (1) of this subsection, (B) a scene of an incident that involves (i) a victim of domestic or sexual abuse, (ii) a victim of homicide or suicide, or (iii) a deceased victim of an accident, if disclosure could reasonably be expected to constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy in the case of any such victim described in this subparagraph, or (C) a minor, shall be subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act, as defined in section 1-200, and any such record shall be confidential, except that a record of a minor shall be disclosed if (i) the minor and the parent or guardian of such minor consent to the disclosure of such record, (ii) a police officer is the subject of an allegation of misconduct made by such minor or the parent or guardian of such minor, and the person representing such officer in an investigation of such alleged misconduct requests disclosure of such record for the sole purpose of preparing a defense to such allegation, or (iii) a person is charged with a crime and defense counsel for such person requests disclosure of such record for the sole purpose of assisting in such person's defense and the discovery of such record as evidence is otherwise discoverable.

(h) No police officer shall use body-worn recording equipment prior to being trained in accordance with section 7-294s in the use of such equipment and in the retention of data created by such equipment. A law enforcement unit shall ensure that each police officer such unit employs receives such training at least annually and is trained on the proper care and maintenance of such equipment.

(i) If a police officer is aware that any body-worn recording equipment or dashboard camera is lost, damaged or malfunctioning, such officer shall inform such officer's supervisor in writing as soon as is practicable. Upon receiving such information, the supervisor shall ensure that the body-worn recording equipment or dashboard camera is inspected and repaired or replaced, as necessary. Each police officer shall inspect and test body-worn recording equipment prior to each shift to verify proper functioning, and shall notify such officer's supervisor of any problems with such equipment.

(j) The Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection and the Police Officer Standards and Training Council shall jointly maintain guidelines pertaining to the use of body-worn recording equipment and dashboard cameras, including the type of detective work an officer might engage in that should not be recorded, retention of data created by such equipment and dashboard cameras and methods for safe and secure storage of such data. The guidelines shall not require a law enforcement unit to store such data for a period longer than one year, except in the case where the unit knows the data is pertinent to any ongoing civil, criminal or administrative matter. Each law enforcement unit and any police officer and any other employee of such unit who may have access to such data shall adhere to such guidelines. The commissioner and council may update and reissue such guidelines, as the commissioner and council determine necessary. The commissioner and council shall, upon issuance of such guidelines or any update to such guidelines, submit such guidelines in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to the judiciary and public safety.”

(June Sp. Sess. P.A. 15-4, S. 7; P.A. 16-33, S. 1; P.A. 17-225, S. 3, 4; P.A. 19-11, S. 2; 19-90, S. 2; July Sp. Sess. P.A. 20-1, S. 19; P.A. 21-33, S. 2, 3; 21-40, S. 26.)

History: June Sp. Sess. P.A. 15-4 effective July 6, 2015; P.A. 16-33 amended Subsec. (g) by designating existing provisions re police officer using body-worn recording equipment to intentionally record as new Subdiv. (1) and amending same by redesignating existing Subdivs. (1) to (6) as Subparas. (A) to (F), and by designating existing provisions re record created using body-worn recording equipment as new Subdiv. (2) and amending same by adding provision re disclosure constituting unwarranted invasion of personal privacy, adding Subpara. (C) re minor, adding provisions re confidentiality and disclosure and making technical and conforming changes, effective May 26, 2016; P.A. 17-225 amended Subsec. (c)(1) to add provision re municipal police department policy, amended Subsec. (j) to delete reference to January 1, 2016, and replace “issue” with “maintain” re guidelines, and further amended Subsecs. (c)(1) and (j) to make technical changes; P.A. 19-11 amended Subsec. (c) by replacing “2016” with “2019”, adding references to Sec. 7-277(b)(1)(B) and (D), deleting reference to Sec. 7-277(b)(1)(C) and making a conforming change in Subdiv. (1), effective July 1, 2019; P.A. 19-90 amended Subsec. (f) by adding reference to dashboard camera with remote recorder and adding provision re disclosure of recording to the public; July Sp. Sess. P.A. 20-1 amended Subsec. (a) by deleting former Subdiv. (1), adding new Subdiv. (1) defining “law enforcement unit”, redefining “police officer” in Subdiv. (2), adding new Subdiv. (4) defining “dashboard camera”, redesignating existing Subdiv. (4) as Subdiv. (5) and adding Subdiv. (6) defining “police patrol vehicle”, amended Subsec. (b) by replacing “may” with “shall” re wearing of body-worn equipment and use for data retention and adding references to dashboard camera, amended Subsec. (c) by making the use of body-worn recording equipment mandatory for all police officers in Subdiv. (1), deleting former Subdiv. (2) re permissible use of body-worn recording equipment, redesignating existing Subdivs. (3) and (4) as Subdivs. (2) and (3) and adding new Subdiv. (4) re mandatory usage of dashboard cameras, amended Subsecs. (d) and (e) by adding references to dashboard camera, amended Subsec. (g) by adding references to dashboard camera and adding reference to officer performing detective work, amended Subsec. (h) by deleting exception for police officer using equipment prior to October 1, 2015, amended Subsec. (i) by adding “or dashboard camera”, “in writing” and “body-worn recording”, amended Subsec. (j) by adding references to dashboard cameras and to type of detective work and adding provision that guidelines not to require data storage for longer than one year and made technical and conforming changes throughout, effective July 1, 2022; P.A. 21-33 amended Subsec. (f) by making existing language Subdiv. (1) and redesignating existing Subdivs. (1) and (2) as Subparas. (A) and (B), by providing that the 96-hour window for disclosure follows the initiation of investigation rather than the recorded incident, by making technical changes and by adding new Subdiv. (2) re requested disclosure when an officer has not been asked to give a formal statement or where no disciplinary investigation has been initiated; P.A. 21-40 made a technical change in Subsec. (a)(1), effective July 1, 2022.