Advisory board and state police say NextGen rollout makes HB 6853 statutory mandate unnecessary

Advocates and state officials told the Public Safety Committee that much of the data collection HB 6853 would require is already being added to police records through administrative updates and vendor work.

Ken Barone, representing the Connecticut Racial Profiling Prohibition Project Advisory Board, said the board unanimously voted to require a checkbox that indicates whether technology (radar, laser or automated license-plate readers) prompted a stop. He described an administrative rollout: technical specifications given to vendors and a plan for NextGen — the largest vendor — to implement the change by April, with the expectation that every department will have the update by July.

Barone and other witnesses said past confusion around a "blind" designation reduced data quality, and the new "technology" field and accompanying manuals and training at the police academy should make reporting clearer. Barone said training sessions will be offered twice yearly and that the board is finalizing a manual and roll-call materials to aid departments.

Committee members expressed concern about imposing a statutory mandate on departments that lack NextGen or the financial resources to make changes; the commissioner said such requirements could impose a burden on smaller agencies and distract officers during traffic stops. Lawmakers signaled interest in striking a balance between better data for racial-profiling analysis and the operational realities troopers face on the road.