2015 Connecticut General Statutes
Title 54 - Criminal Procedure
Chapter 961a - Criminal Records
Section 54-142q - Criminal Justice Information System Governing Board. Membership. Duties and responsibilities. Access to information.

(a) As used in this section, (1) “governing board” means the Criminal Justice Information System Governing Board established in this section, (2) “offender-based tracking system” means an information system that enables, as determined by the governing board and subject to this chapter, criminal justice agencies, as defined in subsection (b) of section 54-142g, the Division of Public Defender Services and the Office of the Federal Public Defender to share criminal history record information, as defined in subsection (a) of section 54-142g, and to access electronically maintained offender and case data involving felonies, misdemeanors, violations, motor vehicle violations, motor vehicle offenses for which a sentence to a term of imprisonment may be imposed, and infractions, and (3) “criminal justice information systems” means the offender-based tracking system and information systems among criminal justice agencies.

(b) There shall be a Criminal Justice Information System Governing Board which shall be within the Office of Policy and Management for administrative purposes only and shall oversee criminal justice information systems.

(c) The governing board shall be composed of the Chief Court Administrator, the Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection, the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, the Commissioner of Correction, the chairperson of the Board of Pardons and Paroles, the Chief State’s Attorney, the Chief Public Defender, the Commissioner of Administrative Services, the Victim Advocate, the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles, the chairpersons and ranking members of the joint standing committee of the General Assembly on judiciary and the president of the Connecticut Police Chiefs Association. The Chief Court Administrator and a person appointed by the Governor from among the membership shall serve as cochairpersons. Each member of the governing board may appoint a designee who shall have the same powers as such member.

(d) The governing board shall meet at least once during each calendar quarter and at such other times as the chairperson deems necessary. A majority of the members shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.

(e) The governing board shall hire an executive director of the board who shall not be a member of the board and who shall serve at the pleasure of the board. The executive director shall be qualified by education, training or experience to oversee the design and implementation of a comprehensive, state-wide information technology system for the sharing of criminal justice information as provided in section 54-142s. The Office of Policy and Management shall provide office space and such staff, supplies and services as necessary for the executive director to properly carry out his or her duties under this subsection.

(f) The governing board shall develop plans, maintain policies and provide direction for the efficient operation and integration of criminal justice information systems, whether such systems service a single agency or multiple agencies. The governing board shall establish standards and procedures for use by agencies to assure the interoperability of such systems, authorized access to such systems and the security of such systems.

(g) In addition to the requirements of subsection (f) of this section, the duties and responsibilities of the governing board shall be to: (1) Oversee the operations and administration of criminal justice information systems; (2) establish such permanent and ad hoc committees as it deems necessary, with appointments to such committees not restricted to criminal justice agencies; (3) recommend any legislation necessary for implementation, operation and maintenance of criminal justice information systems; (4) establish and implement policies and procedures to meet the system-wide objectives, including the provision of appropriate controls for data access and security; and (5) perform all necessary functions to facilitate the coordination and integration of criminal justice information systems.

(h) A member of the governing board, a member of a permanent or an ad hoc committee established by the governing board, and any person operating and administering the offender-based tracking system shall be deemed to be “state officers and employees” for the purposes of chapter 53 and section 5-141d.

(i) Information that may be accessed by the Division of Public Defender Services or the Office of the Federal Public Defender pursuant to subsection (a) of this section shall be limited to: (1) Conviction information, as defined in subsection (c) of section 54-142g, (2) information that is otherwise available to the public, and (3) information, including nonconviction information, concerning a client whom the division has been appointed by the court to represent and is representing at the time of the request for access to such information.

(P.A. 99-14, S. 1, 2; P.A. 00-20, S. 2–4; P.A. 04-219, S. 24; 04-234, S. 2; P.A. 05-178, S. 1; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-4, S. 25; Jan. Sp. Sess. P.A. 08-1, S. 39; P.A. 09-26, S. 1; P.A. 11-51, S. 76, 181.)

History: P.A. 99-14 effective May 12, 1999; P.A. 00-20 amended Subsec. (a) to authorize the Division of Public Defender Services to participate in the offender-based tracking system and added Subsec. (f) to limit the types of information that the division may access, effective April 25, 2000; P.A. 04-219 amended Subsec. (b) to add the Commissioner of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, effective January 1, 2005; P.A. 04-234 replaced Board of Pardons and Board of Parole with Board of Pardons and Paroles, effective July 1, 2004; P.A. 05-178 inserted definitions of “governing board” and “offender-based tracking system” as new Subsec. (a), redesignated existing Subsecs. (a) to (f) as Subsecs. (b) to (g) and amended redesignated Subsec. (b) to require that governing board be within the Office of Policy and Management for administrative purposes only, to delete definition of “offender-based tracking system” and to make technical changes; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-4 amended Subsec. (a) to redefine “offender-based tracking system” in Subdiv. (2) and add Subdiv. (3) defining “criminal justice information systems”, amended Subsec. (b) to provide that board “shall oversee criminal justice information systems” and delete language re information system, added new Subsec. (e) to require board to develop plans, maintain policies and provide direction for the efficient operation and integration of criminal justice information systems and establish standards and procedures re interoperability of, access to and security of such systems, redesignated existing Subsecs. (e), (f) and (g) as Subsecs. (f), (g) and (h), and amended Subsec. (f) to provide that duties and responsibilities enumerated are “In addition to the requirements of subsection (e) of this section” and replace “offender-based tracking system” with “criminal justice information systems”; Jan. Sp. Sess. P.A. 08-1 amended Subsec. (c) to replace provision re Chief Court Administrator shall serve as chairperson with provision re Chief Court Administrator and person appointed by the Governor from among the membership shall serve as cochairpersons and add chairpersons and ranking members of the judiciary committee as members of governing board, added new Subsec. (e) re hiring and qualifications of an executive director and the provision of office space, staff, supplies and services for executive director to carry out his or her duties, redesignated existing Subsecs. (e) to (h) as new Subsecs. (f) to (i), and made a technical change in new Subsec. (g), effective January 25, 2008; P.A. 09-26 referenced the Office of the Federal Public Defender in Subsecs. (a) and (i) and made a technical change; P.A. 11-51 amended Subsec. (c) to replace “Commissioner of Public Safety” and “Commissioner of Emergency Management and Homeland Security” with “Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection”, effective July 1, 2011; pursuant to P.A. 11-51, “Chief Information Officer of the Department of Information Technology” was changed editorially by the Revisors to “Commissioner of Administrative Services”, effective July 1, 2011.

See Sec. 4-38f for definition of “administrative purposes only”.