US Laws, Codes, Statutes & Cases

      Sec. 54-257. Registry. Suspension of registration. Verification of address. Retake of photographic image. Change of name. (a) The Department of Public Safety shall, not later than January 1, 1999, establish and maintain a registry of all persons required to register under sections 54-251, 54-252, 54-253 and 54-254. The department shall, in cooperation with the Office of the Chief Court Administrator, the Department of Correction and the Psychiatric Security Review Board, develop appropriate forms for use by agencies and individuals to report registration information, including changes of address. Upon receipt of registration information, the department shall enter the information into the registry and notify the local police department or state police troop having jurisdiction where the registrant resides or plans to reside. If a registrant notifies the Department of Public Safety that such registrant is employed at, carries on a vocation at or is a student at a trade or professional institution or institution of higher learning in this state, the department shall notify the law enforcement agency with jurisdiction over such institution. If a registrant reports a residence in another state, the department shall notify the state police agency of that state or such other agency in that state that maintains registry information, if known. The department shall also transmit all registration information, conviction data, photographic images and fingerprints to the Federal Bureau of Investigation in such form as said bureau shall require for inclusion in a national registry.

      (b) The Department of Public Safety may suspend the registration of any person registered under section 54-251, 54-252, 54-253 or 54-254 while such person is incarcerated, under civil commitment or residing outside this state. During the period that such registration is under suspension, the department is not required to verify the address of the registrant pursuant to subsection (c) of this section and may withdraw the registration information from public access. Upon the release of the registrant from incarceration or civil commitment or resumption of residency in this state by the registrant, the department shall reinstate the registration, redistribute the registration information in accordance with subsection (a) of this section and resume verifying the address of the registrant in accordance with subsection (c) of this section. Suspension of registration shall not affect the date of expiration of the registration obligation of the registrant under section 54-251, 54-252 or 54-253.

      (c) Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, the Department of Public Safety shall verify the address of each registrant by mailing a nonforwardable verification form to the registrant at the registrant's last reported address. Such form shall require the registrant to sign a statement that the registrant continues to reside at the registrant's last reported address and return the form by mail by a date which is ten days after the date such form was mailed to the registrant. The form shall contain a statement that failure to return the form or providing false information is a violation of section 54-251, 54-252, 54-253 or 54-254, as the case may be. Each person required to register under section 54-251, 54-252, 54-253 or 54-254 shall have such person's address verified in such manner every ninety days after such person's initial registration date. In the event that a registrant fails to return the address verification form, the Department of Public Safety shall notify the local police department or the state police troop having jurisdiction over the registrant's last reported address, and that agency shall apply for a warrant to be issued for the registrant's arrest under section 54-251, 54-252, 54-253 or 54-254, as the case may be. The Department of Public Safety shall not verify the address of registrants whose last reported address was outside this state.

      (d) The Department of Public Safety shall retake the photographic image of each registrant at least once every five years.

      (e) Whenever the Commissioner of Public Safety receives notice from a superior court pursuant to section 52-11 or a probate court pursuant to section 45a-99 that such court has ordered the change of name of a person, and the department determines that such person is listed in the registry, the department shall revise such person's registration information accordingly.

      (P.A. 98-111, S. 8; P.A. 99-183, S. 8, 13; May 9 Sp. Sess. P.A. 02-7, S. 84; P.A. 03-202, S. 19.)

      History: P.A. 99-183 amended Subsec. (a) to delete the Board of Parole from list of agencies cooperating with the department in the development of forms to report registration information, added new Subsec. (b) re suspension of registration while a person is incarcerated, under civil commitment or residing out of state, redesignated former Subsec. (b) as Subsec. (c) and amended said Subsec. to add exception to address verification requirement when registration is suspended under Subsec.(b), to add reference to Sec. 54-253 in provision requiring the form to contain a statement that failure to return the form or providing false information is a violation of the specified statutes, to delete provision establishing an affirmative defense in a prosecution for failure to return the address verification form and to make technical changes for purposes of gender neutrality, and added Subsec. (d) to require the retaking of the photographic image of each registrant at least once every five years, effective July 1, 1999; May 9 Sp. Sess. P.A. 02-7 amended Subsec. (a) to add provision that if a registrant notifies the department that such registrant is employed at, carries on a vocation at or is a student at a trade or professional institution or institution of higher learning in this state, the department shall notify the law enforcement agency with jurisdiction over such institution and amended Subsec. (c) to require verification of address of a person required to register under Sec. 54-251 or 54-254 "every ninety days after such person's initial registration date" rather than "annually on the anniversary of such person's initial registration date" and to require verification of address of a person required to register under Sec. 54-253 "every ninety days after such person's initial registration date" rather than "either annually on the anniversary of such person's initial registration date or every ninety days after such person's initial registration date depending upon whether, after such initial registration, such person is subject to the requirements of section 54-251 or section 54-252, respectively", effective August 15, 2002; P.A. 03-202 added Subsec. (e) re revision of registration information upon notice of court ordered change of name.