Connecticut General Statutes 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 § 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.
Terms Used In Connecticut General Statutes 29-154a
- another: may extend and be applied to communities, companies, corporations, public or private, limited liability companies, societies and associations. See Connecticut General Statutes 1-1
- Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
- Commissioner: means the Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection. See Connecticut General Statutes 29-152u
- Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
- Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Licensee: means any person, firm, company, partnership or corporation engaged in the business of providing investigative or security services. See Connecticut General Statutes 29-152u
- Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
- Private detective: means any person engaged in the business of, or advertising as engaged in the business of (A) investigating crimes or civil wrongs, (B) investigating the location, disposition or recovery of property, (C) investigating the cause of accidents, fire damage or injuries to persons or to property, except persons performing bona fide engineering services, (D) providing the personal protection of individuals, (E) conducting surveillance activity, (F) conducting background investigations, or (G) securing evidence to be used before a court, board, officer or investigation committee. See Connecticut General Statutes 29-152u
- Private detective agency: means any person, firm, company, partnership or corporation that, for consideration, advertises as providing, or is engaged in the business of providing, private detectives and private investigators. See Connecticut General Statutes 29-152u
- Security officer: means the licensed and registered person hired to safeguard and protect persons and property, by (A) the detection or prevention of any unlawful intrusion or entry, larceny, vandalism, abuse, arson or trespass on the property such security officer is hired to protect, or (B) the prevention, observation, or detection of any unauthorized activity on the property the security officer was hired to protect. See Connecticut General Statutes 29-152u
(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 § 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.