08/01/2026
Rep. Greg Howard (R-Stonington), the House ranking member of the Public Safety and Security Committee and a career police officer, flagged these problems during session and has been fielding questions from departments as the Aug. 11 primary approaches. It was Howard's pushback that forced Democrats to amend the law in PA 26-76 just two weeks after passing it, adding narrow carve-outs to limit the damage to local police. He contends those changes didn't go far enough to eliminate confusion.
"This is what happens when you legislate for a headline, ignoring people who have to work under the law," he said. "Officers are asking basic questions. Can I patrol the areas I usually do? How long can I stay at a nearby diner if I'm off duty? Can I walk into my own police station?"
Standing in the wrong spot near a polling place is now a felony for local police. That's what happens when the far left is calling the shots in the legislature. Good news though: the Secretary of the State sent out handy signs so officers know where they're not allowed to stand. Reps. Candelora and Howard weigh in ⬇️
*** NEWS RELEASE ***
CT House GOP: Democrats' Anti-ICE Law is a Trap for Local Police
HARTFORD – With early voting for the August primary starting Monday, House Republicans on Friday warned that a new state law aimed at federal immigration agents, passed by Democrats during the 2026 session, is putting local police officers at legal risk.
PA 26-42 makes it a Class C felony for a law enforcement officer to be within 250 feet of an election site, with narrow exceptions. Because so many towns use town halls, senior centers and school buildings as polling and early voting locations, the restricted zones now cover ordinary streets, businesses and municipal buildings that are routinely patrolled by officers.
Police chiefs across the state are scrambling to write their own guidance so their officers don't end up facing a felony charge for doing their jobs.
"Democrats wrote this law to make a political statement about ICE, and now local cops throughout Connecticut are the ones left with the headache," said House Republican Leader Vincent Candelora (R-North Branford). "We warned them. They passed it anyway."
"The language is so open to interpretation that all it takes is one person with a grudge against police to file a complaint and put an officer's career on the line," Candelora said. "That's why chiefs are calling legal counsel rather than having their officers simply rely on the lawn signs with a QR code that have been sent out by the Secretary of the State."
Rep. Greg Howard (R-Stonington), the House ranking member of the Public Safety and Security Committee and a career police officer, flagged these problems during session and has been fielding questions from departments as the Aug. 11 primary approaches. It was Howard's pushback that forced Democrats to amend the law in PA 26-76 just two weeks after passing it, adding narrow carve-outs to limit the damage to local police. He contends those changes didn't go far enough to eliminate confusion.
"This is what happens when you legislate for a headline, ignoring people who have to work under the law," he said. "Officers are asking basic questions. Can I patrol the areas I usually do? How long can I stay at a nearby diner if I'm off duty? Can I walk into my own police station?"
Howard said it reflects a broader pattern in the General Assembly.
"This is how the progressive Democrat majority treats police officers in this state. First they make the job harder, then they pat themselves on the back for developing 'incentives' to draw people to a profession they've made less and less attractive," he said. "Departments across Connecticut can't fill their ranks, and every session they hand officers one more reason to hang it up. Then they wonder why recruitment and retention is a crisis."
