2024 Connecticut General Statutes
Title 46b - Family Law
Chapter 815t - Juvenile Matters
Section 46b-149a. - Duties of police officer when child runs away from parent or guardian's home.
(a) Any police officer who receives a report from the parent or guardian of a child that such child has run away from his or her parent or guardian's home, shall promptly attempt to locate the child. If the officer locates such child, or any child the officer believes has run away from his or her parent or guardian's home without just cause, or any nondelinquent juvenile runaway from another state, the officer shall report the location of the child to the parent or guardian, and may respond in one of the following ways: (1) The officer may transport the child to the home of the child's parent or guardian or any other person; (2) the officer may hold the child in protective custody for a maximum period of twelve hours until the officer can determine a more suitable disposition of the matter, provided (A) the child is not held in any locked room or cell, and (B) the officer may release the child at any time without taking further action; or (3) the officer may transport or refer a child to a youth service bureau or any public or private agency serving children, with or without the agreement of the child. If a child is transported or referred to an agency pursuant to this section, such agency may provide services to the child unless or until the child's parent or guardian at any time refuses to agree to those services. Such agency shall be immune from any liability, civil or criminal, which might otherwise be incurred or imposed; provided such services are provided in good faith and in a nonnegligent manner.
(b) Any police officer acting in accordance with the provisions of this section shall be deemed to be acting in the course of his official duties.
(P.A. 79-567, S. 6, 7; P.A. 80-401, S. 2, 4; P.A. 88-214, S. 2, 4; P.A. 89-273, S. 9; P.A. 98-183, S. 6; P.A. 23-46, S. 17.)
History: P.A. 80-401 deleted Subdiv. (1) authorizing officer to decline to take further action and terminate investigation, renumbering remaining Subdivs. accordingly, changed applicable date in Subdiv. (2), formerly (3), from August 1, 1980, to July 1, 1981 and added exception re nondelinquent juvenile runaways from other states, substituted “hold” for “allow to remain” in Subdiv. (3) and revised Subdiv. (4) to specify that transport or referral to agency need not be agreed to by child where previously child's agreement was necessary, in Subsec. (a), effective July 1, 1981; P.A. 88-214 amended Subsec. (a) to apply provisions to nondelinquent juveniles from other states, deleting prior provision allowing the detention of such nondelinquent juveniles in accordance with interstate compact on juveniles, and added provision prohibiting holding a child in a locked room or cell; P.A. 89-273 amended Subsec. (a) to increase from 6 to 12 hours the maximum period that a police officer may hold a child in protective custody; P.A. 98-183 made technical changes in Subsec. (a); P.A. 23-46 amended Subsec. (a) by replacing “is a member of a family with service needs, as defined in section 46b-120” with “has run away from his or her parent or guardian's home”, by deleting former Subsec. (a)(2) re referral of child to the superior court for juvenile matters, by redesignating Subsec. (a)(3) and (a)(4) as Subsec. (a)(2) and (a)(3) and by adding that child may be referred to a youth service bureau in redesignated Subsec. (a)(3), effective July 1, 2023.
