[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town of Ridgefield 6-5-1974 as Ch. 11,
Art. III of the 1974 Code. Amendments noted where applicable.]
The Board of Police Commissioners shall organize,
maintain and have the general management and control of a Police Department
in the Town.
The Police Department shall be governed by such
rules and regulations as the Board of Police Commissioners may, from
time to time, deem necessary.
It shall be the duty of the Board of Police
Commissioners to fix the number of members of the Police Department
and, from time to time, appoint such police officers as may be necessary.
The Board of Police Commissioners shall designate
one member of the Police Department who shall be the Chief of Police.
The Chief of Police shall be the chief administrative officer of the
Department and shall be responsible to the Board of Police Commissioners
for the efficiency of the Department and for the execution of all
laws, rules and regulations by statute, Town ordinance or the Board
of Police Commissioners.
[Amended 5-8-1985; 3-17-2010]
Regular police officers appointed to the Police
Department shall not be less than the then lawful age of majority
as determined by Connecticut law and shall comply with such other
lawful requirements, including reasonable residency requirements,
as may be determined by duly adopted regulations of the Board of Police
Commissioners and the Connecticut General Statutes.
[Amended 3-17-2010]
The Board of Police Commissioners shall prescribe
such additional qualifications and requirements for appointments to
the Police Department as it may deem suitable and consistent with
the provisions hereof, provided that the qualifications and requirements
prescribed for appointment as a regular police officer shall be similar
to the qualifications and requirements then imposed for appointment
in accordance with § 7-294d of the Connecticut General Statutes.
The members of the Police Department shall have
all such authority with respect to service of criminal process and
the enforcement of criminal laws as is vested by the General Statutes
in police officers and constables.
[Amended 3-17-2010]
The Board of Police Commissioners may prescribe
the duties of such police officers.
The police officers of the Town shall receive
a salary as fixed by the Board of Police Commissioners, and no officer
shall receive any fee for service in any criminal matter, except his
salary as fixed by the Board.
All fees for the services rendered by any officer
in a criminal matter in the Town shall be paid immediately to the
Town Treasurer and deposited in the general fund.
Any person appointed a police officer under
the provisions of this chapter shall remain in office during good
behavior and until removed for cause affecting his efficiency as a
police officer or the public welfare.
The Board of Police Commissioners may remove,
suspend or discipline, in such a manner as it may prescribe, the Chief
of Police or any police officer, provided that the charge against
such Chief of Police or such officer shall have been filed in writing
with the Board and the member so charged shall have had reasonable
opportunity to appear before the Board, be heard upon and answer such
charge.
