Police data reporting bill draws testimony after CT trooper report controversy; watchdogs seek tougher penalties, better notice

SB 1436, a bill addressing police data reporting and related sanctions, drew testimony March 7 from transparency advocates and the Connecticut Racial Profiling Prohibition Project advisory board amid concern about prior inaccurate reporting by troopers.

Russell Blair of the State Freedom of Information Commission urged the committee to oppose language that would broadly shield records about complaints before they are investigated or adjudicated; Blair said withholding early complaint information would reduce public accountability and hamper discovery of cross‑department investigatory links. Werner Ollenadel, representing the Commission on Women, Children, Seniors, Equity and Opportunity and serving on the CTRP3 advisory board, described the data‑accuracy probe that followed media reporting and urged making intentional misreporting a felony and improving mandatory notification to prosecutors when misconduct is suspected.

CTRP3 representatives told the panel that audit work had found systemwide reporting errors that skewed stop‑data by race and that the advisory board was not notified by the state police when the discrepancies were discovered. The advisory board urged statutory changes to ensure timely notification to the state's attorney and to provide decertification avenues when intentional falsification occurs.

Committee members discussed the need to protect due process for officers while also preserving public trust in data used for research and policymaking. No formal vote was taken; the committee indicated it would continue working on precise drafting to protect adjudicative fairness while creating stronger reporting integrity requirements.