Substitute Bill No. 7202 seeks to improve law enforcement training in Connecticut by establishing two significant initiatives: a social work and law enforcement project at Southern Connecticut State University and a police training center at Central Connecticut State University. The social work project aims to integrate social work services into law enforcement, fostering collaboration between social workers and police officers while addressing diversity and systemic racism. The police training center will focus on education related to crime scene processing and forensic evidence analysis. The bill requires the Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection to enter into memoranda of understanding with the universities by January 1, 2026, and stipulates that any funding used for purposes outside of training must receive written authorization.

Furthermore, the bill updates existing training requirements for police officers by repealing and replacing certain sections of the general statutes. It mandates specific training hours on juvenile matters and interactions with individuals with mental or physical disabilities, including autism spectrum disorder, and introduces topics such as crisis intervention strategies and de-escalation techniques. The deadlines for implementing these training requirements have been extended to January 1, 2026, and July 1, 2026, respectively. Additionally, the bill allocates $1.1 million to the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026, to support the new initiatives, and mandates a comprehensive study of police training programs, with findings due by January 1, 2026.

Statutes affected:
Raised Bill: 7-294h, 7-294v
PS Joint Favorable Substitute: 7-294h, 7-294v
File No. 527: 7-294h, 7-294v
APP Joint Favorable: 7-294h, 7-294v