Department
of Public Safety
At a Glance
JOHN A. DANAHER III, Commissioner
Colonel Thomas Davoren, Deputy Commissioner
Established
– 1903 as the Connecticut State Police Department (The Department of Public
Safety was established in 1977 by PA 77-614)
Statutory authority
– CGS Sec. 29-1b
Central office -
Number of employees
- 1,770, including 1,233 Troopers and 537 civilians
Recurring operating expenses - $173 million
Organizational structure – Office of the Commissioner; Division of State Police;
Division of Fire, Emergency & Building Services; Division of Scientific
Services.
“The Connecticut
Department of Public Safety is committed to protecting and improving the
quality of life for all by providing enforcement, regulatory, and scientific
services through prevention, education, and innovative use of technology.”
In striving to accomplish our mission, we embody our core
values with great PRIDE.
PROFESSIONALISM through an elite and diverse team of trained men and women.
RESPECT for ourselves and others through our words and actions.
INTEGRITY through adherence to standards and values that foster public
trust.
DEDICATION to service.
EQUALITY through fair and unprejudiced application of the law.
Statutory
Responsibility
The Department of Public Safety (DPS)
consists of three divisions: the
Division of State Police, the Division of Fire, Emergency, and Building
Services, and the Division of Scientific Services. The Commissioner of the Department of Public
Safety, John A Danaher III, as Chief Executive Officer, State Fire Marshal, and
a member of the State Traffic Commission, is assisted by three Division heads
and the following units and functions:
Chief of Staff, Public Information Office, Legislative Liaison, Legal
Affairs Unit, Equal Opportunity Employment Compliance Unit, and the Bureau of
Management Support.
The Bureau of Management Support, under
the direction of Chief Fiscal Administrative Officer Michael R. Wambolt,
comprises Fiscal Services, Human Resources, and Employee Safety / OSHA. Fiscal Services is responsible for the
preparation, management and expenditure of the agency’s $173 million operating
budget, as well as, processing expenditures from the $6 million capital budget,
$66 million of state and federal grants, and $6 million of other funded
programs. The units constituting Fiscal
Services include: Purchasing, Accounts
Payable, Accounts Receivable, General Accounting, the Quartermaster and
Inventory Control. In FY 08, the unit
processed over 3,000 purchase orders and paid over 18,000 invoices. The agency’s inventory is valued at
approximately $150 million. Human
Resources provide a uniform and equitable system of personnel administration
for the agency’s 1,770 employees who are members of seven labor unions, and
also administer the agency’s Workers’ Compensation program. The agency’s safety officer conducts comprehensive
occupational safety inspections of the department facilities to ensure
compliance with the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) and works to
reduce employee injuries and Workers’ Compensation costs.
CONNECTICUT
The
Division of State Police is under the direction of Colonel Thomas Davoren and
consists of approximately 1,233 sworn troopers and approximately 299 civilian
personnel. It is considered the oldest
state police division in the nation. With ever-increasing responsibilities, our
Troopers and support staff have risen to the challenge of securing the safety
and preserving the quality of life we all enjoy as citizens of this great
State.
The Division is divided into two
components: the Office of Field
Operations, which provides direct law enforcement services to the citizens of
the state, and the Office of Administrative Services, which provides logistical
support while maintaining several registries and licensing bureaus. Additionally, it provides training for all
Connecticut State Troopers.
The Division equips and upgrades the
patrol force with laptop computers that have the capability to complete all
field reporting from patrol vehicles and garner the ability to access the
various databases to perform everyday duties.
The Division and its employees are committed to providing support
services to ensure the safety of all members of the Department.
The Connecticut State Police is steadfast
in its commitment to provide the best possible law enforcement services to the
State of
The Connecticut State Police received
initial accreditation status through the Commission on Accreditation for Law
Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) in 1988.
This accreditation demonstrates the agency’s compliance with the most
stringent of administrative and operational standards. These standards are recognized and accepted
both nationally and internationally. The
Connecticut State Police remains one of the larger CALEA accredited
agencies.
OFFICE OF
FIELD OPERATIONS
The Office of Field Operations, under the
command of Lieutenant Colonel Peter R. Terenzi III, is responsible for the
delivery of police services statewide through three geographical districts
(including a total of 12 Troops), three Major Crime Squads, the Traffic
Services Unit, the Emergency Services Unit, the Bureau of Organized Crime, the
Bureau of Special Investigations, and the Office of Domestic Terrorism.
The Bureau of Organized Crime consists of several specialized
investigative units within the Department of Public Safety. These units include
The Statewide Narcotics Task Force (SNTF); The Statewide Organized Crime
Investigative Task Force (SOCITF); The Statewide Urban Violence Cooperative
Crime Control Task Force (SUVCCCTF); The Connecticut Regional Auto Theft Task
Force (CRATTF); The Motor Vehicle Fraud Task Force (MVFTF); and the Statewide
Firearms Trafficking Task Force (SFTTF).
Each of these units conducts a myriad of both long-term and short-term
criminal investigations that are focused on the detection and suppression of
various criminal enterprises whose activities negatively impact the quality of
life of the citizens of
Statewide
Narcotics Task Force (SNTF):
SNTF is a task force that is comprised of both state troopers and local
law enforcement officers from several police departments across
SNTF investigators conduct a wide variety of investigations concerning
illegal narcotics sales, trafficking, distribution and manufacturing here in
CT. SNTF personnel work closely on a
regular basis with the FBI and DEA on both state and federal level narcotic
investigations.
Statewide
Organized Crime Investigative Task Force (SOCITF):
SOCITF has the responsibility of conducting investigations into complex
criminal organizations that conduct illegal activities here in CT. The nature of these investigations, are typically
complex and often involve cooperation with various law enforcement entities
such as the FBI, DEA, and other CT local law enforcement agencies.
Statewide
Urban Violence Cooperative Crime Control Task Force (SUVCCCTF):
The SUVCCCTF is compromised of Connecticut State Troopers and local
police officers whose primary mission is conducting investigations into
criminal matters that negatively impact quality of life issues in areas across
CT. These investigations include
narcotic and firearm violations, prostitution, and other matters that
negatively impact the quality of
CRATTF has the responsibility of investigating crimes involving the
theft of automobiles and other vehicles. Personnel from this task force have
specialized skills in the detection and identification of stolen vehicles. They
conduct a myriad of investigations including vehicle theft, chop shop
operations and insurance fraud. CRATTF
is staffed with state troopers, local police officers, and by a member of the
CT MVD.
Motor
Vehicle Department Task Force:
This task force is responsible for investigating the illegal issuance
(and possession) of drivers licenses here in Connecticut, as well as conducting
various investigations regarding potential criminal activity by entities
regulated by the Department of Motor Vehicles.
Statewide
Firearms Trafficking Task Force (SFTTF):
SFTTF investigators are responsible for the investigation of illegal
sales, trafficking and transfer of firearms in
Traffic
Services Unit (TSU)
In
2007, the Department of Public Safety handled a total of 558,504 calls for
service. These included 24,830 criminal investigations and 32,846 traffic
accident investigations. In addition, Troopers issued 141,783 summonses for
motor vehicle violations.
The
Traffic Services Unit is responsible for the administration of all specialized
traffic enforcement activities statewide and its Commanding Officer serves as
the State Traffic Coordinator. A majority of the personnel assigned to the
Traffic Services Unit conduct traffic enforcement duties on a regular basis,
and are assigned to Aggressive Driving Teams or Commercial Vehicle Teams.
Aggressive Driving Teams (ADT’s) are deployed in strategic locations across the
state to target areas experiencing a high incidence of hazardous moving
violations. ADT personnel utilize non-traditional patrol vehicles and
specialized enforcement techniques, such as aerial sky-timing, to accomplish
their mission. The Commercial Vehicle Teams (CVT’s) conduct weight and safety
inspections of commercial vehicles at both fixed Weight and Safety Inspection
Stations and at mobile location sites across the state. CVT personnel are
certified to conduct federal motor carrier safety inspections of commercial
vehicles and are individually equipped to inspect and weigh these vehicles in
any location.
The
Traffic Services Unit frequently provides assistance to State Police Troops and
municipal police agencies in addressing areas experiencing a high incidence of
violations and accidents. In addition, the Traffic Services Unit has a long
history of joining efforts with the Department of Motor Vehicles’ Commercial
Vehicle Safety Division in programs to target commercial vehicles that are
committing moving violations or operating with safety deficiencies.
Several components within the Traffic Services Unit provide specialized
services as needed. The Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Squad (CARS)
provides full-time collision analysis and reconstruction services to State
Police commands and municipal police agencies upon request. The Motorcycle Unit
provides motorcycle officer training for State Police Troopers and municipal
police officers, and conducts operational and ceremonial escorts for special
events. The Traffic Services Unit also operates the Breath Alcohol Testing
Vehicle (BATMobile), which is deployed at field sobriety checkpoints to
increase their operational efficiency. The Railroad Liaison Office serves to
provide statewide law enforcement training and investigative assistance for
railroad-related law enforcement matters.
Bureau of Special Investigations
This bureau is a highly sophisticated and multi faceted investigative
wing of the Connecticut State Police comprised of complex departmental units
such as Homeland Security, The Fugitive Task Force, The Extradition Unit, The
Casino Unit and CTIC. The bureau is responsible for unique police functions in
a myriad of capacities. In today’s fast paced world this bureau literally
comprises a front line of defense for the citizens of this state with Homeland
Security being responsible for extensive responsibility in a highly populated
state proximal to
In April 2006, the Office of Field Operations, along with the Office of
Domestic Terrorism, the Traffic Services Unit, and the Emergency Services Unit,
participated in a Homeland Security exercise in connection with the Strategic
National Stockpile (SNS) of critical medical items. The mission of the Office of Field Operations
was to provide security and escorts for the SNS upon its entry into
The Office of Field Operations continues to participate in the
development of statewide mass evacuation plans that would be implemented in the
event of an emergency declaration by the Governor. These plans include the contra-flow of
traffic on selected highways to facilitate the expeditious evacuation of
EMERGENCY SERVICES UNIT
The Emergency Services Unit is comprised
of the Bomb Squad, Dive Team, Tactical Team (SWAT), Negotiators, Aviation,
Marine, and Canine Section. Emergency Services is headquartered at Troop K in
Bomb Squad: Incidents
involving explosives, Search for explosives (K9), Fireworks seizures Storage of
Explosive evidence (not including IED’s) as
evidence, Technical assistance for Post Blast Investigations, Destruction of
old ammunition, flares and chemical munitions.
Hazardous Materials Technician
assistance: Any
incident involving the use or threatened use of a Weapon of Mass Destruction
including; Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, High Yield Explosives
(CBRNE) types of Incidents.
Dive and Marine Unit: Any emergency in a marine environment
including: Lost boaters, Search & rescue, Underwater evidence recovery,
Tactical Team: Any high risk incident including: barricaded
subjects, hostage situations, searches for armed and dangerous subjects, high
risk warrant service, Special transportation protection (e.g. high risk
prisoners, narcotics, firearms); Dignitary protection, Hostage Negotiators for
any tactical situation as well as suicidal individuals threatening the use of
physical force against themselves or another, Civil Disturbance teams for any civil
disturbance or riot situation.
Canine assistance is available for the
following types of situations: Tracking,
building search, criminal apprehension, Search and rescue, Body recovery,
Searches for explosives, narcotics and evidence of accelerants in suspected
arson situations. Training is also available for authorized departments.
Aviation assistance is available for the
following types of situations: Surveillance, Traffic
enforcement, Search and rescue, Marijuana field location and eradication, Aerial
photo missions, Tactical operations and medical transport, and
OFFICE OF
ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES
The Office of Administrative Services, under the command of Lieutenant
Colonel Cheryl A. Malloy, is divided into three bureaus, the Bureau of Research
and Information Services, the Bureau of Infrastructure and Communications and
the Bureau of Training and Support Services, as well as, the Infrastructure
Planning and Facilities Management Section, the Criminal Justice Information
Systems Section, and Grants & Contracts Sections.
The Office of Administrative Services provides training, planning, and
support duties to the agency through a wide array of commands comprising each
bureau; including the State Police Training Academy, Selections and
Investigative Support; Reports & Records, Background Investigative Unit,
Polygraph Unit; Crimes Analysis, CompStat, Grants & Contracts
Administration; Fleet Administration; DPS Communications Center, Computer Aided
Dispatch and Records Management System; Facilities Management; Bond Management
and Capitol Improvement. Criminal
Justice Information Services; Telecommunications, the statewide radio system;
Special Licensing and Firearms Unit, Boxing Regulation, and the Sex Offender
Registry Section.
DIVISION OF FIRE, EMERGENCY,
AND BUILDING SERVICES
The Division of Fire, Emergency and
Building Services (DFEBS) is comprised of four major sub-divisions that work
closely in support of the public safety mission: Office of State Fire Marshal (OSFM), Office of
State Building Inspector (OSBI), Office of Statewide Emergency
Telecommunications (OSET) and Office of Education and Data Management
(OEDM). Leadership and management of
DFEBS is the responsibility of Director Robert J. Ross and the division is
staffed by a highly dedicated group of professional women and men comprised of
civilians and sworn State Police Troopers.
The staff conducts field inspections and
provides technical assistance to local building and fire code officials, design
professionals, contractors, developers, engineers, property owners, elected
officials, and the general public. DFEBS
is charged with complex responsibilities for a wide range of public safety
matters related to various aspects of building and fire safety, telecommunications,
education and training and data management through adopting, amending and
administering a wide variety of codes, standards and agency regulations.
Technical areas that DFEBS deals with
include: administering the state fire
safety and building codes to ensure safety in our places of work or recreation;
safety and inspection of state buildings and new state building construction
projects; cause and origin of fires and arson investigations; assuring the
safety of children on carnival rides and families attending amusement parks,
circuses and theaters; ensuring fireworks and explosives safety through
licensing, permits and inspections; elevator, personal hoists, ski lifts,
tramways and boiler safety through inspections, plan reviews and issuance of
operating certificates; crane/hoisting licensing and accident investigations;
assuring assistance when our citizens and visitors dial “9-1-1” for help
through telecommunications engineering and systems design (E-9-1-1), GIS and
Public Safety Answering Points; training local officials to perform their
public safety responsibilities and assisting municipal officials; technical training and education in all
related fields and administering licensing and certification examinations; and
management of Connecticut’s Burn Injury Reporting System and National Fire
Incident Reporting System (NFIRS).
DFEBS staff interacts with local, state and federal agencies and on a
daily basis conduct business with insurance companies and commercial
enterprises. The members of the Division
of Fire, Emergency and Building Services are committed to professionalism in
the preservation of life and property and through their efforts, the residents
of
OFFICE OF EDUCATION AND DATA MANAGEMENT
The Office of Education and Data
Management is in the final stages of implementation of the Training, Licensure
and Certification Data Management System.
The system is comprised of training, licensure and certification records
for over 3,000 emergency dispatchers, building code officials, and fire
investigators and fire code officials.
Certified and licensed individuals will be able to access their personal
training records online through a personal identification number and will be
able to apply online for continuing education programs beginning in September
2008.
OFFICE
OF STATEWIDE EMERGENCY TELECOMMUNICATIONS (OSET)
The Office of Statewide Emergency Telecommunications (OSET) provides for
statewide Enhanced 9-1-1 planning and implementation, public safety
telecommunicators training and certification, public safety frequency
coordination, funding for regional communications centers, funding for cities
with populations greater than 40,000, CSP public safety answering points
(PSAPs), grant assistance for capital expenses for PSAPs and grant assistance
for coordinated medical emergency direction (CMED). During fiscal year 07/08 OSET provided for
services, equipment and grants in the amount of $26,495,113.38.
OSET provides all state and local public safety agencies with street
centerline and street address information (geographic information systems –
GIS) for emergency response purposes. Additionally, during the fiscal year
07/08 OSET completed the Local Update of Census Addresses program (LUCA), a
decennial census geographical program that provides an opportunity for states
and local governments to review the Master Address File and ensure accurate
census data. Information gathered for
this program is used for apportioning seats in the U.S. House of
representatives as well as funding for social, economic and environmental
programs.
OSET provides chairmanship and plan
development for the six State New England 700 MHz, 800 MHz and 4.9 GHz planning
committees. The creation of a regional
plan and the subsequent approval by the FCC has paved the way for all
OSET completed a request for proposals (RFP) for the acquisition of a
new software platform for 9-1-1 call handling at
OFFICE OF STATE FIRE MARSHAL
The Office of State Fire Marshal (OSFM)
had success in several areas of its responsibilities. Staffing levels were
increased to meet the workload. The
Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement conducted several operations that lead
to the arrests and seizures of illegal display fireworks. Investigators also worked two high profile
fire investigations: The Cheshire home
invasion in July 2007 and the Peachtree Apartment fire in
OFFICE OF THE
STATE BUILDING INSPECTOR
An MOU was signed by the Commissioner of Department of Public Safety and
the Chancellor of the Connecticut State University System as mandated by PA
07-7. This document assigns OSBI and
OSFM as the code authority having jurisdiction for the $1.25 billion CSUS 2020
four state universities (Southern, Central, Eastern & Western) construction
projects. The MOU provides for hiring
and assignment of nine technical positions from this agency. The qualified staff will be responsible for
building code and fire code compliance plan reviews, building code and fire
code compliance inspections, inspections for means of egress, fire alarm and
fire suppression systems. This MOU
represents a significant change for CSUS construction projects and represents a
substantial commitment for uniform code enforcement. Legislatively fees were increased for the
Bureau of Elevators and Bureau of Boilers.
DIVISION OF SCIENTIFIC
SERVICES
In the last year the outstanding work of the members of the Division of
Scientific Services has been honored in the form of awards, departmental unit
citations, as well as recognition from the FBI and the administrators of the
computerized ballistics database.
Additionally, numerous letters of commendation from the departments
served have been received at the Division.
On May 14th, 2007, the Forensic
Science Laboratory received its re-accreditation from the American Society of
Crime Laboratory Directors (ASCLD) for meeting or exceeding the standards and
requirements of the ASCLD/Lab Accreditation Manual in the disciplines of Trace
Evidence, Biology, Firearms/Tool marks, Questioned Documents and Latent Prints.
The re-accreditation of the laboratory is for five years. Also, for the first
time, the Toxicology Laboratory has applied for Accreditation and was inspected
in September 2007. The Toxicology Laboratory successfully passed inspection on
its first attempt and is now ASCLD Accredited.
The Forensic Laboratory’s Firearms Section
as well as the DNA Section are both approaching their 600th and
800th database hits in their areas. The Firearms section has identified 592
cold hits in the NIBIN System on ballistic evidence recovered from unsolved
The Computer Crime and Electronic Evidence
Laboratory has received confirmation of continuing grant funding from the
Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force in the amount of $425,000.
During the past year, the Computer Crime and Electronic Laboratory investigated
211 Cybertips from the
The Laboratory
has enjoyed high success rates with state-of-the-art database capabilities in
place at the facility:
o
The original Automated Fingerprint
Identification System (AFIS) in the Latent Print Section was upgraded by the
installation of the COGENT™ system for fingerprint and palm print
searches. Over 6,000 prints were sent
for searching with 522 searches resulting in “hits.” In addition, the Latent Print Section
recently solved a 2001 cold case from
o
The National Integrated Ballistics Identification
Network (NIBIN) continues to aid in numerous criminal investigations.
Approximately 3,000 pieces of evidence/destruction test fires have been entered
into the system this year. A total of
700 cold hits have occurred through the use of this database. In addition, it has been shown that 15 of the
recent
The Combined DNA Indexing System (CODIS)
convicted offenders DNA database has added approximately 15,000 new searchable
profiles during the year. The expansion
has resulted in 140 hits to cases that originally did not have suspects. Most notably, the suspect in a high profile
homicide was linked to an unsolved home invasion and sexual assault that took
place two years prior. The DNA Unit also
assisted police agencies in
The Forensic Biology Section has continued
to carry one of the highest per examiner caseloads in the Laboratory. Prior to being examined by other Laboratory
sections, all sexual assault kits and most homicide cases are examined in this
section.
The Trace Section, Question Document
Section and the newly formed Digital Enhancement Section continue to provide
valuable forensic analysis of cases. The Question Documents Section received a
new SICAR 6 (Storage, Matching & Recognition Data Base System). This system
stores information on footwear and tire track patterns. This system has just
come online and has been utilized in 15 cases to date.
The DNA Unit was assigned to work with the
“Innocence Project” regarding an inmate serving a life sentence for rape. The unit’s re-examination of the evidence and
use of new DNA techniques was vital in demonstrating that probative biological
material did not originate from the inmate.
The inmate was immediately released after serving 18 years and was
granted a new trial based mainly on laboratory findings. . The DNA profile was
then entered into the Database and matched an individual that was incarcerated
in
The diligent work of the Chemistry Section
of the Laboratory was instrumental in the apprehension of a suspect in a series
of explosions that took place in the Southwest region of the state in early
2006. Not only were the examiners able
to link the cases, they were also able to provide vital information for
investigators executing a search warrant of the suspect’s residence.
Trooper Jim Smith of the Computer Crimes and Electronic Evidence
Laboratory has received a National Recognition award from the
THE OFFICE OF COUNTER TERRORISM
Operations, Prevention and Response - has continued to act as the
liaison with the federal Department of Homeland Security. This office has worked with all local, state,
and federal agencies in a continued effort to foster and maintain partnerships
that will provide the best unified approach to the prevention, mitigation, and
management of natural or manmade incidents that threaten the quality of life
enjoyed by the citizens of the State of
The law enforcement component of the Office of Counter Terrorism
currently consists of members of the Connecticut State Police working under a
Memorandum of Understanding. The
collaboration of the two agencies (DPS and DEMHS) will help to ensure a
comprehensive approach to all law enforcement aspects of public safety. This
office is also working with the Traffic Services Unit and Emergency Services
Unit in the development of a regional radiation detection program with
Critical Infrastructure Unit: has been working in conjunction with the
federal Department of Homeland Security, private industry, and local
municipalities to develop the Buffer Zone Protection Program (BZPP) and the
2007 Critical Infrastructure Risk Analysis in an effort to improve physical
security at sites deemed “critical” within the State of
The unit also spearheaded a mass transit
security project that will phase in video surveillance cameras within the
passenger rail operations within
FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF): JTTF
investigates and responds to terrorism-related allegations and incidents. Most recently, the JTTF has separated into
two distinct components identified as Domestic Terrorism investigations and
International Terrorism investigations, with State Police personnel assigned to
each component. JTTF personnel respond to the following types of incidents:
reports of suspicious individuals believed to be involved in acts of terrorism,
anthrax threats, Investigate terrorism funding streams, WMD threats, threats
related to land, sea and air transportation, threats towards Connecticut’s
critical infrastructure, collect evidence, provide security at special events
when requested, Investigators assigned to the JTTF work closely with the
following agencies: Immigration & Customs Enforcement, Secret Service,
Department of Homeland Security, US Coast Guard, Local Law Enforcement,
Regional JTTF Units, additionally, members of the JTTF have analysts from the
FBI’s Field Intelligence Group (FIG) at their disposal to provide analytical
products/advice to aid their investigations.
The
The Counter Terrorism Training Unit: continues to train state and local law
enforcement officers in the area of Suicide Bomber and State and Local
Anti-Terrorism Training (SLATT) and has trained approximately 5,000 officers to
date. “Operation Safeguard,” a terrorism
awareness-training program, is also provided for private security entities with
over 600 trained to date. A Terrorism
Liaison Officer Program (TLO) has been initiated to identify and train liaison
officers within each agency to improve the overall sharing of terrorism and
crime related information statewide.
This unit is developing several cutting edge training programs to
include but not limited to an Advanced Suicide Bomber Training Program.
The