Senator Gaston Leads Senate Passage of Bill Closing Loophole on Armed School Security

Today, state Senator Herron Keyon Gaston (D-Bridgeport), Chair of the Public Safety and Security Committee, led Senate passage on a bill that will close a critical loophole that previously enabled officers dismissed from law enforcement for serious misconduct to serve as armed security personnel in Connecticut’s public schools.

Senate Bill 402, “An Act Revising the Definition of “Retired Police Officer” for Purposes of Certain Provisions Regarding School Security Services”, revises the definition of “retired police officer” for the purposes of certain provisions regarding school security services.

“Every child who walks through the doors of a public school deserves to be safe and that means we must hold those entrusted with their protection to a high standard,” said Senator Gaston. “This bill ensures that officers who were dismissed or stepped aside under a cloud of serious misconduct cannot find a back door into our schools. We will not let bad actors slip through the cracks.”

Under current Connecticut law, police departments are prohibited from hiring an officer who was previously employed in another jurisdiction and was dismissed for malfeasance or serious misconduct that called into question their fitness to serve, or who resigned or retired while under investigation for such conduct.

SB 402 extends that same standard to the school security context by disqualifying any individual who is prohibited from being hired by a law enforcement unit from being eligible to provide armed school security services in a public school as a retired police officer.

Prior to this legislation, a retired or separated officer who would be ineligible for rehire by any law enforcement agency due to a history of misconduct could nonetheless be placed in an armed security role in a Connecticut public school. SB 402 closes that gap, creating consistent accountability standards across both law enforcement hiring and school safety.

SB 402 has earned the support of the Connecticut State Department of Education. In their testimony, Commissioner Charlene Russell-Tucker stated, “School safety is a high priority of the Department. Ensuring that those adults working in our schools and trusted with the safety of our students, school staff and families are qualified to carry out such duties is paramount.”

The bill will now head to the House of Representatives.