Connecticut General Statutes
Chapter 534 - Private Detectives and Security Services
Section 29-154a. - Qualifications for private detective or private detective agency license. Appeal.

(a) The commissioner may grant a private detective or private detective agency license to any suitable person, or to any corporation, association or partnership subject to the following qualifications: The applicant for a private detective or private detective agency license shall be not less than twenty-five years of age and of good moral character and shall have had at least five years' experience as a full-time investigator, as determined in regulations adopted by the commissioner pursuant to section 29-161, or shall have had at least ten years' experience as a police officer with a state or organized municipal police department. Employment as a security officer shall not be considered as employment as an investigator. If the applicant is a corporation, association or partnership, the person filing the application on behalf of such corporation, association or partnership shall meet the qualifications set forth in this section for an individual applicant, and shall be an officer of such corporation or member of such association or partnership. If the commissioner grants a private detective or private detective agency license to an applicant based on such applicant's experience as an investigator with an organized municipal fire department, such license shall restrict such licensee to performing the same type of investigations as were performed for the municipal fire department.

(b) The commissioner may, at the commissioner's discretion, substitute up to one year of experience for a private detective or private detective agency applicant upon proof of satisfactory participation in a course of instruction pertinent to the license applied for.
(c) No license shall be issued to any person who has been (1) convicted of any felony, (2) convicted of any misdemeanor under section 21a-279, 53a-58, 53a-61, 53a-61a, 53a-62, 53a-63, 53a-96, 53a-175, 53a-176, 53a-178 or 53a-181d, or equivalent conviction in another jurisdiction, within the past seven years, (3) convicted of any offense involving moral turpitude, or (4) discharged from military service under conditions that demonstrate questionable moral character.
(d) Any applicant who has been denied a license may appeal in writing to the commissioner not later than thirty days after receipt of such denial.
(e) (1) Any individual who has been convicted of any criminal offense may request, at any time, that the commissioner determine whether such individual's criminal conviction disqualifies the individual from obtaining a license or registration issued or conferred by the commissioner pursuant to this chapter based on (A) the nature of the conviction and its relationship to the individual's ability to safely or competently perform the duties or responsibilities associated with such license, (B) information pertaining to the degree of rehabilitation of the individual, and (C) the time elapsed since the conviction or release of the individual.
(2) An individual making such request shall include (A) details of the individual's criminal conviction, and (B) any payment required by the commissioner. The commissioner may charge a fee of not more than fifteen dollars for each request made under this subsection. The commissioner may waive such fee.
(3) Not later than thirty days after receiving a request under this subsection, the commissioner shall inform the individual making such request whether, based on the criminal record information submitted, such individual is disqualified from receiving or holding a license or registration issued pursuant this chapter.
(4) The commissioner is not bound by a determination made under this section, if, upon further investigation, the commissioner determines that the individual's criminal conviction differs from the information presented in the determination request.
(1969, P.A. 756, S. 5; P.A. 81-253, S. 2; 81-472, S. 153, 159; P.A. 87-560, S. 3; P.A. 94-48; P.A. 04-192, S. 3; P.A. 10-32, S. 99; P.A. 22-88, S. 32.)
History: P.A. 81-253 eliminated the citizenship requirement for issuance of license; P.A. 81-472 made technical changes; P.A. 87-560 amended Subdiv. (1) to permit a person with a minimum of 5 years' experience as a full-time investigator in an organized municipal fire department to apply for a private detective or investigator's license and specified restrictions on such licensee; P.A. 94-48 amended Subdiv. (1) to permit a person with a minimum of 5 years' experience as a full-time investigator with the division of public defender services and a person with a minimum of 10 years' experience as a police officer with a state or organized municipal police department to apply for a private detective or investigator's license, and made technical changes to Subdivs. (2) and (3); P.A. 04-192 redesignated existing provisions as Subsecs. (a) to (c), inclusive, eliminating numeric Subdiv. designators, eliminated references to investigator's license and watchman, guard or patrol service, inserted references to private detective agency, required that applicant for private detective or private detective agency license have at least 5 years' experience as a full-time investigator, as determined in regulations, eliminating reference to “in the employment of a licensed private detective or investigator or with a United States government investigative service, a state or organized municipal fire or police department or the Division of Public Defender Services”, made technical changes, provided that no license shall be issued to any person who has been convicted of any misdemeanor under Sec. 21a-279, 53a-58, 53a-61, 53a-61a, 53a-62, 53a-63, 53a-96, 53a-175, 53a-176, 53a-178, 53a-181d or equivalent conviction in another jurisdiction, within the past 7 years or who has been discharged from military service under conditions that demonstrate questionable moral character, eliminating reference to discharge under other than honorable conditions, and added Subsec. (d) authorizing any applicant who has been denied a license to appeal in writing not later than 30 days after receipt of such denial; P.A. 10-32 made technical changes in Subsec. (a), effective May 10, 2010; P.A. 22-88 added Subsec. (e) re provisions for individuals convicted of a criminal offense to request commissioner determination whether such conviction disqualifies them from receiving a license.

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