FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Division of Criminal Justice today hosted the 2022 John M. Bailey Seminar, an annual review of legal developments that impact police policies and practices in Connecticut.
Nearly 700 police officers and law enforcement officials participated in the virtual one-day seminar that was led by Division of Criminal Justice prosecutors and staff, and also included a presentation by Lucinda Lopes-Phelan, Deputy Director of the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection’s Division of Scientific Services.
“The annual John M. Bailey seminar affords a tremendous opportunity for the Division to address police departments throughout the state on emerging areas of the law,” Chief State’s Attorney Patrick J. Griffin said. “I am quite pleased with the turnout, and thank the many Chiefs who supported this year’s presentations. The sheer number of participants that accessed this virtual training reflects that the law enforcement community in Connecticut is rightly eager to remain abreast of legal developments that impact the work they do on behalf of the people in our cities and our towns.”
Law enforcement officials said the seminar’s virtual format gave police from across Connecticut the opportunity to participate.
“The John M. Bailey Seminar for years has been both a tradition and a valuable asset to law enforcement,” Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection Commissioner James C. Rovella said. “When you can bring hundreds of prosecutors and law enforcement officials - especially the command in law enforcement - from across the state together, that’s a valuable communication.”
In addition to a comprehensive look at case law and legislative updates, topics in this year’s seminar included witness protection, cell phone extractions, internet crimes against children and a review of new provisions in Connecticut’s “Red Flag” law that allow family members and clinicians to ask for court intervention when a person is at immediate risk of causing harm to themselves or others.
“Our supervisors and officers make an effort to stay informed about annual changes and updates to state laws and what this seminar does is provide added education and explanation of these legal changes so that our officers out in the field understand how these developments will impact the work they do every day,” Waterbury Police Chief Fernando C. Spagnolo said. “Training like this is extremely valuable especially for the development of our younger command staff.”
Prosecutors and staff from the Division of Criminal Justice’s Appellate Bureau, Executive Staff, the Witness Protection Unit and various Judicial Districts led this year’s seminar discussions.
“As Chief State’s Attorney Griffin has stressed in the past, the Division has a large stake in the training of law enforcement and we are committed to supporting the continuing legal education of officers statewide,” said Executive Assistant State’s Attorney Lisa M. D’Angelo, the Division’s Director of the Office of Ethics and Professional Standards. “As today’s interactions demonstrated, changes in the law present new challenges to our state’s police officers, and we look forward to providing guidance that will assist them in the performance of their duties.”
East Hartford Police Department Assistant Chief Mack S. Hawkins said this year’s seminar touched on several important updates to Connecticut’s criminal laws, particularly those in the area of juvenile crime and internet crimes and technology.
“The quality of today’s training under Chief State's Attorney Griffin, and the inclusiveness of the prosecutors and all of the law enforcement leaders across the state was outstanding,” Assistant Chief Hawkins said. “The laws are constantly changing and updating so it’s important that we receive this training so that law enforcement professionals from across Connecticut can all be on the same page.”
The seminar is named in honor of John M. Bailey who retired as Chief State’s Attorney in November 2003 after serving a decade as Connecticut’s chief law enforcement officer. Mr. Bailey began his career as a prosecutor in 1975 and was appointed State’s Attorney for the Judicial District of Hartford-New Britain in 1979, serving there until his appointment as Chief State’s Attorney.
Throughout his tenure as Chief State’s Attorney, Mr. Bailey emphasized greater communication and cooperation among law enforcement agencies at all levels of government.