The Office of Legislative Research writes nonpartisan reports for legislators on various topics. Recent reports related to the Public Safety Committee’s subject areas include:

Body Armor and Connecticut Law – 2023-R-0301

Accessibility Legal Requirements for Buildings – 2023-R-0270

Number of Municipal Police Departments in Connecticut – 2023-R-0265

Department of Consumer Protection Gaming Duties and Authority – 2023-R-0234

Minimum Number of Accessible Parking Spaces in Condominium and Apartment Parking Lots – 2023-R-0233

EMS Treatment and Transportation of Peace Officers’ Animals – 2023-R-0232

New England Rail Safety Efforts and Federal Preemption – 2023-R-0218

2023 Acts Affecting First Responders – 2023-R-0122

Benefits to Surviving Families of Police Officers – 2023-R-0081

State and Federal Laws on Ammunition Record-keeping Requirements – 2023-R-0033

State agencies

Dept. of Emergency Services and Public Protection

Dept. of Consumer Protection’s Gaming Division

Connecticut Lottery Corporation

Office of the State Fire Marshal

Office of the State Building Inspector

Division of Criminal Justice, including the Office of Inspector General

 

State boards, commissions, and task forces

Board of Firearms Permit Examiners

Code and Standards Committee and its Codes Amendment Subcommittee (building and fire codes)

Commission on Fire Prevention and Control

Connecticut Lottery Corporation Board of Directors

Fire Marshal Training Council

Fire Prevention Code Advisory Committee

Police Officer Standards and Training Council

State Emergency Response Commission

Task Force to Study the Curriculum and Education of Police Officers

 

Federal government

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

Dept. of Homeland Security

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

 

Other organizations

Center for Gambling Studies at the Rutgers School of Social Work

Center for Gaming Research at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas

 

Other online resources

Connecticut firearms law – research guide by the Judicial Branch Law Libraries

Connecticut law about buying, building or selling a home – research guide by the Judicial Branch Law Libraries

Connecticut law about gambling – research guide by the Judicial Branch Law Libraries

Deadly force reports list from the Division of Criminal Justice

Gaming revenue and statistics from the Dept. of Consumer Protection

State Laws and Published Ordinances – Firearms – by the ATF

La Fleur’s Magazine – TLF Publications; print subscription.

Gun Regulation and Legislation in America (from HeinOnline): “periodicals, key compiled federal legislative histories, relevant congressional hearings, CRS Reports, Supreme Court briefs, and more.” Access from anywhere with a Connecticut State Library card.

Indigenous Peoples of the Americas (from HeinOnline): “With more than 900 unique titles and 900,000 pages dedicated to American Indian Law, this collection includes an expansive archive of treaties, federal statutes and regulations, federal case law, tribal codes, constitutions, and jurisprudence.” Access from anywhere with a Connecticut State Library card.

International Code Council (ICC) Codes – includes International Building Code and many other codes. Click on a publication’s cover illustration to get to its free online text.

National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Codes and Standards

NCSL 9-1-1 Bill Tracking Database – from the National Conference of State Legislatures and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Tracks legislation from 2012-present.

NCSL Law Enforcement Statutory Database – from the National Conference of State Legislatures and Arnold Ventures. Tracks enacted laws by subject.

NCSL Legislative Responses for Policing Database – from the National Conference of State Legislatures. Tracks bills and executive orders from 2020-present.

Please note this is not an exhaustive list. Contact the library for these and other reports.

Community engagement training update – annual report by the Office of Policy and Management; pursuant to CGS 4-68gg

Crime in Connecticut (Uniform Crime Reporting Program annual report) – by the Dept. of Emergency Services and Public Protection; pursuant to CGS 29-1c

Division of Statewide Emergency Telecommunications annual report – by the Dept. of Emergency Services and Public Protection; pursuant to CGS 28-29b

Emergency Department Boarding and Crowding Workgroup interim reportEmergency Department Boarding and Crowding Workgroup interim report – pursuant to PA 23-97 s.27

Feasibility of implementing a statewide program for police departments to refer people to services for substance use disordersFeasibility of implementing a statewide program for police departments to refer people to services for substance use disorders – by the CT Alcohol and Drug Policy Council; pursuant to PA 17-131 s.7(e)

Firefighters Cancer Relief Fund status – annual report by the Office of the State Treasurer; pursuant to CGS 7-313k

Hate Crimes Advisory Council annual report – pursuant to CGS 51-279f

Human trafficking reports – annual reports by each police department in the state; pursuant to CGS 51-286h

Impacts of legalized gambling in Connecticut (2023)Impacts of legalized gambling in Connecticut (2023) – published at least every 10 years by the Dept. of Mental Health and Addiction Services; pursuant to CGS 12-564(b)

Inclusion of gas detectors within the State Building CodeInclusion of gas detectors within the State Building Code – by the Dept. of Administrative Services (Codes and Standards Committee, Office of the State Building Inspector, and Office of the State Fire Marshal); pursuant to PA 23-102 s.40

Merits and feasibility of establishing a facility to train police officers on the symptoms of cannabis impairmentMerits and feasibility of establishing a facility to train police officers on the symptoms of cannabis impairment – by the Dept. of Emergency Services and Public Protection; pursuant to PA 21-1 s.165 June

Merits and feasibility of establishing a police phlebotomy programMerits and feasibility of establishing a police phlebotomy program – by the Dept. of Emergency Services and Public Protection; pursuant to PA 21-1 s.165 June

Model policy on the use of body worn recording equipment and dashboard cameras – periodic report by the Dept. of Emergency Services and Public Protection, and the Police Officer Standards and Training Council; pursuant to CGS 29-6d

Online lottery gaming revenue and the debt-free community college programOnline lottery gaming revenue and the debt-free community college program – by the Office of Policy and Management; pursuant to PA 19-117 s.364

Police pursuit data – annual report by the Police Officer Standards and Training Council; pursuant to CGS 14-283a

Police Transparency and Accountability Task Force annotated updated final reportPolice Transparency and Accountability Task Force annotated updated final report – pursuant to PA 19-90 s.6 and PA 20-1 July s.12

Police use of force – annual report published by the Office of Policy and Management; pursuant to CGS 7-282e(d)

Preliminary status report for each incident in which police used deadly force – by the Division of Criminal Justice; pursuant to CGS 51-277a

Project Longevity implementation planningProject Longevity implementation planning – by the Office of the Chief Court Administrator; pursuant to PA 22-118 s.123

Project Longevity implementation planningProject Longevity implementation planning – by the Office of Policy and Management and The Justice Education Center, Inc.; pursuant to PA 21-153

Sexual assault, stalking and intimate partner violence reports – annual reports by each institution of higher education in the state; pursuant to CGS 10a-55m(f)

Staffing requirements biennial report – by the Dept. of Emergency Services and Public Protection; pursuant to CGS 29-4(b)

Task Force to Study the Training Curriculum and Education of Police Officers in the State of Connecticut final reportTask Force to Study the Training Curriculum and Education of Police Officers in the State of Connecticut final report – pursuant to SA 16-13

Traffic stop data analysis and findings – annual report by the Institute for Municipal and Regional Policy at Central Connecticut State University; pursuant to CGS 54-1m(i)

Whiting Forensic Hospital physician salary reviewWhiting Forensic Hospital physician salary review – by the Dept. of Mental Health and Addiction Services; pursuant to PA 22-45 s.9

For OLR Reports and other materials related to the Public Safety Committee’s work, index headings include:

Building Code
CT Lottery Corporation
Disasters
Fire Marshal
Fire Safety Code
Gambling
Gambling-Advertising
Gambling-Bingo
Gambling-Dog Racing
Gambling-Horse Racing
Gambling-Jai Alai
Gambling-Las Vegas Nights
Gambling-Sports Betting
Police
Search and Seizure
Special Revenue-CT Division of
Weapons
Weapons-Firearms
Weapons-Gun Control

The library assigns topical index headings to all OLR Reports and keeps hard copies of the reports organized by these index headings. Reports from 1994 to the present are in the library’s file cabinets (aka the “vertical files”) in the red-tabbed folders, as well as online in full text. Older reports are in two sets of bound volumes (one set for the 1970s, and one for 1980-1993) on the library’s shelves.

The same index headings the library uses for OLR Reports have been used to organize over 600 subject files of materials such as newspaper clippings, court decisions, press releases, pamphlets, and other resources that would be more difficult to locate if they were dispersed throughout the library’s general collection. The subject files are in the blue-tabbed folders in the file cabinets. (Many of the items in these folders have also been digitized by the library, and their electronic versions can be found in the library’s intranet catalog.)

Connecticut State Building Code

For the past several years, almost all newly published items added to the library’s collection have been in electronic format only. These items are accessible in full text through the library’s intranet catalog. Many old print materials have also been digitized and uploaded to the library’s catalog.

To get a general sense of a subject’s history, however, you may find it useful to browse the library stacks in certain locations to see print copies of older publications (and the occasional newer item that was published both electronically and in print). For publications related to public safety and security, call number ranges include, but are not limited to:

338.411 economic impact of casino tourism
345.052 criminal investigation and law enforcement
351.74 state government – police agencies
352.2 local governments – police agencies
352.922 building construction
363.2 social problems and services – police services
363.233 enforcement of civil laws, including building codes
363.42 social problems and services – gambling
970 American Indian tribes; government relations with specific tribes

Hard copies of mandated reports that were produced only once or as a limited series are shelved by the number of the act that required the report. Hard copies of mandated reports produced regularly with no set end date (for example, state agencies’ annual reports) are shelved in the stacks by subject.

Connecticut State Police traffic stop data audit report 2014-21Connecticut State Police traffic stop data audit report 2014-21 – by the Institute for Municipal and Regional Policy, 2023

Electronic defense weapon analysis and findingsElectronic defense weapon analysis and findings – by the Institute for Municipal and Regional Policy at Central Connecticut State University, 2016

Establishing comprehensive integrity in traffic stop data collectionEstablishing comprehensive integrity in traffic stop data collection – by IntegrAssure, 2024

Fantasy contest agreements between the State of Connecticut and the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes – 2021

Independent investigation of Connecticut State PoliceIndependent investigation of Connecticut State Police – by Finn Dixon & Herling, 2024

Keno agreements between the State of Connecticut and the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes – 2015

Lethality assessment program – periodic reports by the CT Coalition Against Domestic Violence

Northeastern casino gaming updateNortheastern casino gaming update – by Clyde W. Barrow, Pyramid Associates, 2015

Preparing for the unimaginable: how chiefs can safeguard officer mental health before and after mass casualty eventsPreparing for the unimaginable: how chiefs can safeguard officer mental health before and after mass casualty events – by the U.S. Dept. of Justice, 2016

Racial and ethnic disparities in the justice systemRacial and ethnic disparities in the justice system – by the National Conference of State Legislatures, 2022

Sandy Hook Advisory Commission final reportfinal report, 2015

State data center general controls: CT Lottery CorporationState data center general controls: CT Lottery Corporation – by the Auditors of Public Accounts, 2023