About Us
In striving to accomplish our mission, we will embody our core values with great PRIDE:
Professionalism through an elite and diverse team of trained men and women.
Respect for ourselves and others through our words and actions.
Integrity through adherence to standards and values that merit public trust.
Dedication to our colleagues, our values, and to the service of others.
Equality through fair and unprejudiced application of the law.
The Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection
The six division Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection (DESPP) came about as a result of legislation that created DESPP on July 1, 2011. The origin of DESPP began in 1903 when the Connecticut law makers created the nation's first state police department consisting of five men who drew a salary of three dollars a day to enforce state liquor and vice laws.
The Connecticut State Police expanded over the years from 1903 to meet the public safety requirements of a growing state. The General Assembly passed a law that created the Department of Public Safety effective January 1, 1979. The newly created Department of Public Safety contained the Connecticut State Police, the State Office of Civil Preparedness, the Military Department, the Municipal Police Training Council and Board of Firearms Examiners.
The Department of Public Safety experienced a reorganization in 1996 when Commissioner Bernard Sullivan followed a set of recommendations outlined by the Legislature's Program Review and Investigations Committee. The reorganization created two separate divisions under the Department : The Division of State Police and the Division of Fire, Emergency and Building Safety. In 1999 a third division, the Division of Scientific Services was added.
In 2011, in an effort by the state to decrease the number of agencies and reduce costs, another transformation occurred. The Department of Public Safety became the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection (DESPP). DESPP is comprised of the following six divisions:
Commission on Fire Prevention and Control
The Commission on Fire Prevention and Control (CFPC) mission of this division is to prevent or mitigate the effects of fire and disasters through leadership and collaboration with municipalities, fire departments and regional fire schools. This is achieved through training, education and professional competency certification of career and volunteer fire service personnel.
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Connecticut State Police
Since 1903, the Connecticut State Police (CSP) has provided a full range of law enforcement services to the State of Connecticut. There are currently 11 troops located throughout the state with State Police troopers providing the primary law enforcement services in 82 of the 169 municipalities in Connecticut. Additionally, the CSP provides major crime, emergency services, cause and origin investigations and traffic and truck enforcement to the entire state.
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Emergency Management and Homeland Security
The Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (DEMHS). Working closely with local, state, federal, tribal, and private sector partners, DEMHS provides a coordinated, integrated program for statewide emergency management and homeland security. The division directs and coordinates all available resources to protect the life and property of the residents of Connecticut in the event of a disaster or crisis, whether natural or manmade, through a collaborative program of prevention, planning, preparedness, response, recovery, mitigation, and public education. This mission includes strategic and operational planning, operations, training and exercise, grants, and disaster relief. DEMHS also coordinates statewide security communications as well as establishes standards and protocols for the use and dissemination of intelligence.
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Police Officers Standards and Training Council
The Police Officer Standards and Training Council (POSTC) mission is three fold. First: providing innovative, credible and responsive high quality basic, advanced and specialized training to Connecticut police officers. Second: committed to adopting and enforcing professional requirements for individual police officer certification, and Third: provide a body of comprehensive professional law enforcement accreditation standards for state law enforcement agencies, manage such program, grant accredited status to agencies which demonstrate and maintain compliance with applicable standards.
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Scientific Services
The Division of Scientific Services (SS) provides forensic support to local, state and federal agencies throughout Connecticut. This division is divided into three sections: the Chemistry Section (including toxicology, controlled substances, and arson), the Biology/DNA Section, and the Identification Section (including computer crimes.
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Statewide Emergency Telecommunications
The Division of Statewide Emergency Telecommunications (DSET) provides for the development and maintenance of coordinated state-wide emergency service telecommunications for public safety organizations and the residents of Connecticut. DSET is responsible for the 9-1-1 System, Public Safety Data Network, Public Safety Frequency Coordination, Telecommunicator Training, Geographic Information Systems, the CT Alert Emergency Notification System and support for the consolidation of Public Safety Answering Points.
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