HARTFORD — Members of the Chief State’s Attorney’s Community Engagement Board received updates during a March 31, 2026 meeting about bills related to law enforcement being discussed during the latest legislative session, including hate‑crime enforcement, investigative practices and the work of the Office of the Inspector General.
Supervisory Assistant State’s Attorney David M. Kutzner, head of the Special Litigation and Legislative Affairs Unit, discussed a series of public‑safety bills being closely monitored and actively lobbied by the Division of Criminal Justice, including a hate‑crimes reform bill advanced by the governor’s office. Officials explained long‑standing concerns with the state’s fragmented hate‑crimes statutes, which exist across multiple sections of state law and use terminology that they say complicates prosecution.
Division of Criminal Justice leaders said they supported consolidating hate‑crime statutes, removing ambiguous intent language, and eventually creating a hate‑crime sentencing enhancement. They noted Connecticut lacked an enhanced penalty even in the most serious bias‑motivated crimes, including homicide. The legislation ultimately was overwhelmingly favored by the General Assembly and Governor Ned Lamont signed the bill into law in June.
Officials also discussed negotiations over automated license plate reader (ALPR) legislation, including data‑retention limits and concerns about a “back door” that unintentionally allowed federal immigration authorities to access Connecticut police data.
Another issue brought to the forefront was the use of Artificial Intelligence‑generated police reports derived from body‑worn camera footage. Some police departments had begun experimenting with the technology, prompting strong pushback.
Chief State’s Attorney Patrick J. Griffin told the board that with the support of the state’s police chiefs, he and Connecticut’s state’s attorneys imposed a moratorium on the use of AI programs to draft, author and/or narrate criminal reports.
“What this new technology attempted to do was interpret body‑camera footage and automatically generate a police report from it. And I’ll be honest, I didn’t like it,” Chief State’s Attorney Griffin said. “We’re in the business of being accurate, and the reality is that this technology is still in flux.”
“We all know this technology is coming in some form, but we have to get it right,” Chief State's Attorney Griffin said. “It’s a new and sometimes scary world. When you're interpreting body‑camera footage, misidentifying speakers is one of the biggest risks. In our line of work, that could have enormous consequences. Someone could end up in prison because the system thought one person said something that they didn’t.”
While there was discussion about possible legislation regarding AI-generated police reports, no proposals moved forward in 2026.
“I believe our moratorium gives Connecticut law enforcement, prosecutors, and everyone involved the time we need to study this emerging technology carefully,” Chief State’s Attorney Griffin said.
The meeting concluded with a presentation from Deputy Chief State’s Attorney, Inspector General Eliot D. Prescott, who noted that the number of pending deadly use‑of‑force cases continues to decrease since he assumed the role in July 2025.
Inspector General Prescott said resolving deadly use-of-force cases and releasing reports publicly in a timely manner is critical because it helps build trust with communities looking for answers to what happened in those incidents.
Chief State’s Attorney Griffin said the Police Officers Standards and Training Council would study the use of AI‑generated police records and consider potential policy development.
Inspector General Prescott also reviewed several technical statutory changes the office pursued to clarify the 2020 police‑accountability law, including clarifying the Inspector General’s jurisdiction over ICE‑related uses of deadly force, ensuring access to evidence when federal agencies are involved in an incident, clarifying his subpoena authority during investigations and strengthening his ability to issue policy recommendations following in‑custody deaths.
Inspector General Prescott noted that federal cooperation has shifted in recent years, prompting the need for explicit statutory language to protect access to evidence and investigative authority.