(a) The Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection may, upon the application of any electric distribution, gas, telephone or water company owning, leasing, maintaining, managing or controlling any property, plant or equipment in this state, commission, during the commissioner's pleasure, one or more persons designated by such company who, having been sworn, may act at the expense of such company as police officers upon the premises used or occupied by such company in its business, or upon any highway adjacent to such premises, for the proper protection of such plant or property, and each police officer so appointed may arrest and take before some proper authority any person in the police officer's precinct for any offense committed therein. The commissioner may exercise such supervision and direction over any police officer appointed as herein provided as the commissioner deems necessary. When any such commission is issued or revoked, the commissioner shall notify the clerk of the superior court for each judicial district in which it is intended that such police officer shall act.

(b) The commissioner may, upon the application of any railroad, express company or steamboat company, engaged in the business of transportation in this state, or upon the application of any corporation owning or having control of the roads in any private residence park, or upon the application of the Connecticut Airport Authority, commission, during the commissioner's pleasure, one or more persons designated by such company or by such corporation, or one person designated by such authority, who, having been sworn, may act, at the expense of such company, corporation or authority, as a police officer or police officers, as the case may be, upon the premises used by such company or authority in its business, or upon its cars, vessels or airplanes, or upon the roads and land owned by or under the control of such corporation or authority, and each police officer so appointed may arrest and take before some proper authority any person in the police officer's precinct for any offense committed therein. When any such commission is issued or revoked, the commissioner shall notify the clerk of the superior court for each judicial district in which it is intended that such police officer shall act. Each such police officer shall, when on duty, wear in plain view a shield bearing the words “railroad police”, “steamboat police”, “express company police” or “special police”, as the case may be, and the name of the company, corporation or authority for which the police officer is commissioned.

(1949 Rev., S. 3661; 1963, P.A. 153; P.A. 77-614, S. 486, 610; P.A. 78-280, S. 2, 127; P.A. 85-246, S. 18; P.A. 11-51, S. 134; P.A. 14-134, S. 35; P.A. 18-142, S. 2.)

History: 1963 act authorized appointment of express company police in Subsec. (b); P.A. 77-614 replaced commissioner of state police with commissioner of public safety, effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 78-280 substituted “judicial district” for “county”; P.A. 85-246 deleted reference to street railway companies and street railway police in Subsec. (b); pursuant to P.A. 11-51, “Commissioner of Public Safety” was changed editorially by the Revisors to “Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection” in Subsec. (a), effective July 1, 2011; P.A. 14-134 amended Subsec. (a) by replacing reference to electric company with reference to electric distribution company and deleting reference to telegraph company, effective June 6, 2014; P.A. 18-142 amended Subsec. (b) by adding provision re designation of person by Connecticut Airport Authority to act as police officer, and made technical and conforming changes, effective June 13, 2018.

See Sec. 25-44 re appointment of special police for protection of water supplies.