Connecticut is moving forward with a new approach to police training in its largest urban centers, more than five years after the Police Accountability Act of 2020 required it. The state last September hired Yale Law School’s Justice Collaboratory to design the Community Engagement Training Program, a curriculum for officers in Hartford, Bridgeport, New Haven and about 34 other municipalities in those areas.
The curriculum is still being developed but is expected to address three core issues: implicit bias among officers, reconciliation for past harms to minority communities and “procedural justice” — the manner in which officers interact with people on a daily basis.
Chris Collibee, a spokesperson for Gov. Ned Lamont’s budget office, said the agency worked with the University of Connecticut’s Institute for Municipal and Regional Policy to “review national best practices and ensure Connecticut delivers high-quality training that supports both community and law enforcement safety.”
The program stems from the Police Accountability Act, a sweeping reform measure passed in 2020 following nationwide protests over police violence. That law mandated new training requirements for law enforcement, but implementation has taken years. State officials said the new curriculum could be finalized later this year.
The Justice Collaboratory, a research center at Yale Law School focused on criminal justice reform, will lead development of the training materials. The program will apply to officers working in and around the specified urban areas, covering roughly 34 municipalities. State officials did not provide a specific timeline for when training would begin.