UNMARKED CONNECTICUT State Police Fleet, Basic Police Accountability Missing - MARK THE FLEET

Hard to hire troopers, No Problem. Marking the fleet will amplify the police presence throughout Connecticut.

Are they driving out of State
Are they parked illegally
Are they speeding off duty
Are they involved in questionable behavior

IT is much harder for the public to tell when with an unmarked fleet. In 2019 the CSP stopped purchasing roof mounted bars. The signage they rely on are approximately 1 inch tall and 16 inches long. The public, local or otherwise, deserve to be able to easily and distantly recognize law enforcement vehicles. There is a mountain of recommendations combined with universal precedent which the Conn DPS chooses to ignore. The presumption being the car belongs to the employees and not the taxpayers!

The Connecticut State Police (CSP) are the only agency in the USA, Canada, Europe and anywhere in the modern world where the patrol fleet, their entire fleet, has no overt high visibility markings. The CSP has no specific identifiable license plate, striping, no rear visibility chevrons, no badging or graphics, no roof mounted warning lights that allow easy recognition and identification from a distance during any weather or ambient lighting condition. By marking their cruisers the CSP would have the affect of appearing more ubiquitous. The Mass state police, the Federal government, the Arizona Department of Public Safety and others have indicated the importance of vehicle markings for the officer and the public.

September 29, 2000
2000-R-0922
STATE POLICE CARS
By: Veronica Rose, Principal Analyst
You asked if any of the states that border Connecticut use only unmarked state police cars. You also want to know why the Connecticut State Police uses only unmarked cars.

According to the Connecticut State Police, Massachusetts, New York, and Rhode Island use both marked and unmarked state police cars. Connecticut does the same.

All Connecticut state police cars are equipped with permanently installed standard rear deck red and blue emergency lights and siren. Patrol cars have a detachable roof bar with the words State Police, but in certain patrol operations that call for low visibility, a supervisor may direct an officer not to attach the bar. The division has 12 cars with the “STATE POLICE” decal extending on both sides from the front to the rear bumper (one for each troop) and six more being outfitted. It gave the following rationale for using unmarked vehicles:

“Patrol vehicles utilized by the Connecticut State Police are designed for multiple capabilities….Unmarked capabilities allow for tactical operations to detect hazardous moving violations such as detecting aggressive drivers and commercial motor vehicle enforcement.”

Under the current State Police union contract, officers keep their assigned cars for off-duty use. (Part of the reason for this is that police officers perform law enforcement activities while off-duty.) While the car is being used in an off-duty capacity, markings are not desirable. The trooper can attach the State Police light bar if he is required to perform a law enforcement function involving the car.

It costs approximately $200 to $500 to apply the state police decal on the side of new vehicles. And the decal must often be reapplied to vehicles involved in accidents. In 1999, the division had 413 accidents. If half of the decals were replaced, it would have cost between $42,000 to $103,000, depending on the application process and extent of the damage.