2019 Connecticut General Statutes
Title 26 - Fisheries and Game
Chapter 490 - Fisheries and Game
Section 26-6 - Powers and duties of conservation officers and patrolmen.

(a) Conservation officers, special conservation officers and patrolmen appointed by the commissioner under authority of section 26-5, shall enforce the provisions of title 23 and this title and chapters 246, 247, 248, 255 and 268 and regulations adopted pursuant to such titles and chapters and sections 15-180, 22a-250, 22a-381d, subsections (c) and (d) of section 22a-381e, sections 26-192c to 26-192h, inclusive, 29-28, 29-35, 29-38, 53-134, 53-190, 53-191, 53-194, 53-203, 53-204, 53-205, 53a-59 to 53a-64, inclusive, 53a-100 to 53a-117a, inclusive, subsection (b) of section 53a-119b, sections 53a-122 to 53a-125, inclusive, 53a-130, 53a-133 to 53a-136, inclusive, 53a-147 to 53a-149, inclusive, 53a-157b, 53a-165 to 53a-167c, inclusive, 53a-171, 53a-181 to 53a-183a, inclusive, 54-33d and 54-33e.

(b) Conservation officers, special conservation officers and patrolmen may, without warrant, arrest any person for any violation of any of the provisions set forth in subsection (a) of this section, and any full-time conservation officer shall, in the performance of his duties in any part of the state, have the same powers to enforce such laws as do policemen or constables in their respective jurisdictions. Any full-time conservation officer shall, incident to a lawful arrest while enforcing such laws in the performance of his duties in any part of the state, have the same powers with respect to criminal matters and the enforcement of the law relating thereto as policemen or constables have in their respective jurisdictions.

(c) Any conservation officer, special conservation officer or patrolman may, anywhere within the boundaries of the state, examine the contents of any boat, ship, automobile or other vehicle, box, locker, basket, creel, crate, game bag or game coat or other package in which he has probable cause to believe that any fish, crustacean, bird or quadruped is being kept, in violation of any said statutory provisions or any regulation issued by the commissioner, or any regulation issued by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service as provided by section 26-91, and to ascertain whether any provision of any law or any regulation for the protection of any fish, crustacean, bird or quadruped has been or is being violated, and shall have the same authority as police officers to obtain and execute search warrants as provided for in sections 54-33a, 54-33b and 54-33c.

(d) Any conservation officer, special conservation officer or patrolman may be appointed a special policeman under the provisions of section 29-18.

(e) The Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection is authorized to assign one or more conservation officers to patrol and inspect the buildings, lands and waters owned by The White Memorial Foundation, Incorporated, located in the towns of Litchfield and Morris and, in addition to their powers as conservation officers, such officers may be appointed special policemen under the provisions of section 29-18.

(f) Each conservation officer, special conservation officer or patrolman shall be sworn to the faithful performance of his duties.

(1949 Rev., S. 4866; 1955, June, 1955, S. 2458d; 1971, P.A. 233; 871, S. 101; 872, S. 211; P.A. 74-245, S. 2; P.A. 75-567, S. 68, 80; P.A. 80-341, S. 2; P.A. 81-227, S. 2; P.A. 87-589, S. 47, 87; P.A. 89-321, S. 9, 12; P.A. 90-173, S. 10; P.A. 91-402; P.A. 96-180, S. 95, 166; P.A. 00-99, S. 69, 154; P.A. 03-136, S. 7; P.A. 05-234, S. 11; P.A. 10-20, S. 1; P.A. 11-59, S. 12; 11-80, S. 1; P.A. 13-82, S. 2.)

History: 1971 acts specified that law enforcement powers of full-time conservation officers are same as those of sheriffs, policemen or constables, replaced reference to Secs. 53-108, 53-110, 53-118 and 53-123 with reference to Secs. 53a-109 and 53a-115 to 53a-117 and replaced references to board of fisheries and game and its director with references to environmental protection commissioner; P.A. 74-245 divided section into Subsecs., listed statutes which conservation officers and patrolmen have power to enforce in greater detail than previously and made technical changes for clarity; P.A. 75-567 substituted Sec. 22a-27d for Sec. 53-51 in Subsec. (a), reflecting its transfer; P.A. 80-341 added reference to Sec. 53a-119b(b) in Subsec. (a); P.A. 81-227 amended Subsec. (a) by expanding the authority of conservation officers to enforce provisions of chapters on motor vehicles, litter, firearms and bribery of public servants and amended Subsec. (b) by granting conservation officers same authority as police officers to obtain and execute search warrants, replacing provision granting them power to search buildings, dwellings, trailers and tents with a search warrant; P.A. 87-589 substituted reference to Sec. 53a-183a for reference to Sec. 53a-183 in Subsec. (a); P.A. 89-321 added references to Secs. 26-192c to 26-192h, inclusive, (formerly Secs. 19a-96 to 19a-101); P.A. 90-173 proposed to amend Subsec. (a) to add reference to Secs. 15-171 to 15-175, inclusive, but said Secs. included in existing reference to chapter 268 and the wording remains the same; P.A. 91-402 amended Subsec. (b) to add provision granting full-time conservation officers, incident to a lawful arrest while enforcing the laws set forth in Subsec. (a), the same powers with respect to criminal matters and the enforcement of the law relating thereto as sheriffs, policemen or constables have in their respective jurisdictions, and divided Subsec. (b) into Subsecs. (b) and (c) and relettered the remaining Subsecs. accordingly; P.A. 96-180 amended Subsec. (e) to change “Said commissioner” to “The Commissioner of Environmental Protection”, effective June 3, 1996; P.A. 00-99 deleted references to sheriffs in Subsec. (b), effective December 1, 2000; P.A. 03-136 amended Subsec. (a) to include reference to Sec. 15-180, effective June 26, 2003; P.A. 05-234 amended Subsec. (a) to replace reference to sections “53a-100 to 53a-117, inclusive” with “53a-100 to 53a-117a, inclusive”, effective January 1, 2006; P.A. 10-20 amended Subsec. (a) by adding reference to Sec. 22a-381d; P.A. 11-59 made a technical change in Subsecs. (c) and (d), effective July 1, 2011; pursuant to P.A. 11-80, “Commissioner of Environmental Protection” was changed editorially by the Revisors to “Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection” in Subsec. (e), effective July 1, 2011; P.A. 13-82 amended Subsec. (a) to add reference to Sec. 22a-381e(c) and (d) and make a technical change.