(a) The Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection may, within available appropriations, appoint suitable persons from the regular state police force as resident state policemen in addition to the regular state police force to be employed and empowered as state policemen in any town or two or more adjoining towns lacking an organized police force, and such officers may be detailed by said commissioner as resident state policemen for regular assignment to such towns, provided each town shall pay eighty-five per cent of the cost of compensation, maintenance and other expenses of the first two state policemen detailed to such town, and one hundred per cent of such costs of compensation, maintenance and other expenses for any additional state policemen detailed to such town, provided further such town shall pay one hundred per cent of any overtime costs and such portion of fringe benefits directly associated with such overtime costs. Such town or towns and the Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection are authorized to enter into agreements and contracts for such police services, with the approval of the Attorney General, for periods not exceeding two years.

(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, the Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection shall appoint a resident state policeman to serve in a pilot program assignment for two towns lacking an organized police force or constabulary and located within the jurisdiction of the same state police troop pursuant to a memorandum of agreement with towns requesting participation in the pilot program. Towns participating in the pilot program shall be responsible for the costs and expenses of such resident state policeman as provided in subsection (a) of this section.

(c) The Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection shall exercise such supervision and direction over any resident policeman so appointed as said commissioner deems necessary, and each appointee shall be required to conform to the requirements of chapter 67. Each resident state policeman shall have the same powers as officers of the regular state police force and be entitled to the same rights and subject to the same rules and regulations as the Division of State Police within the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection.

(1949 Rev., S. 3647; 1951, 1955, S. 1987d; 1957, P.A. 60; 1959, P.A. 361; 1961, P.A. 606; February, 1965, P.A. 290, S. 2; 1967, P.A. 544, S. 1; 1969, P.A. 602; P.A. 73-6, S. 1, 2; 73-416; P.A. 77-513; 77-614, S. 486, 610; P.A. 85-202; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 91-12, S. 49, 55; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 92-12, S. 8, 10; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 92-14, S. 10, 11; P.A. 11-51, S. 168; P.A. 13-281, S. 1; P.A. 15-244, S. 170.)

History: 1959 act increased number of resident police to 30; 1961 act to 36; 1965 act increased maximum number of resident state policemen appointed to 46; 1967 act increased maximum number to 55; 1969 act increased maximum number to 60; P.A. 73-6 authorized contracting for police services “for periods not exceeding two years” where previously such contracts were specified as two-year periods without exception or allowance for lesser periods of time; P.A. 73-416 increased maximum number of resident state police to 68; P.A. 77-513 specified that town pay 60% of resident state policemen's salaries rather than “an equitable share”; P.A. 77-614 made state police department a division within the department of public safety and replaced commissioner of state police with commissioner of public safety, effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 85-202 deleted language limiting the maximum number of resident state policemen to 68 and provided that appointments be made within available appropriations; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 91-12 increased town payments for resident state troopers from 60% to 70% of the state's cost beginning July 1, 1992; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 92-12 increased town's share of costs and other expenses of resident state policemen from 70% to 75%; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 92-14 decreased town's share of costs and other expenses of resident state policemen from 75% to 70%; P.A. 11-51 replaced references to Commissioner and Department of Public Safety with references to Commissioner and Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, replaced “July 1, 1992” with “July 1, 2011”, required each town to pay 70% of regular cost and 100% of overtime costs and fringe benefits directly associated with such overtime costs and made a technical change, effective July 1, 2011; P.A. 13-281 designated existing provisions as Subsecs. (a) and (c) and added Subsec. (b) requiring commissioner to appoint a resident state policeman to serve in a pilot program assignment; P.A. 15-244 amended Subsec. (a) to increase town's share from 60 per cent to 85 per cent of cost of compensation, maintenance and other expenses for first two state policemen detailed to town, 100 per cent of such costs for additional state policemen detailed to town, and 100 per cent of overtime costs and associated fringe benefits, effective July 1, 2015.

Cited. 196 C. 623.