ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICERS

 

By: Janet Kaminski Leduc, Senior Legislative Attorney

 

 


Text Box: ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICERS (ACOS) REQUIRED
By law, the agriculture commissioner must appoint a chief state ACO, an assistant chief state ACO, up to 12 state ACOs, and as many regional ACOs and assistants as necessary to enforce relevant laws and regulations (CGS § 22-328).
Each municipality with more than 25,000 people must have a full-time municipal ACO. A municipality with fewer people must have a municipal ACO, but the ACO does not need to be full-time (CGS § 22-331). Two or more contiguous towns each with fewer than 25,000 people may agree to be served by a regional ACO (CGS § 22-331a).
issues

What are the education requirements for an animal control officer (ACO) in Connecticut? What duties does the law impose on ACOs? This report has been replaced by OLR Report 2025-R-0044.

Summary

In Connecticut, no one may begin serving as a state, regional, or municipal ACO unless he or she (1) completes at least 80 hours of initial ACO training and receives a certificate of completion from the agriculture commissioner or (2) provides the commissioner an affidavit agreeing to complete the training within one year of starting as an ACO.

The initial training requirement applies only to ACOs who begin serving in that role on or after July 1, 2012. People serving as ACOs before that date are not required to complete the initial ACO training. But by law, all ACOs (regardless of start date) must annually complete at least six hours of continuing education training (CGS § 22-328).

Among other things allowed by law, ACOs may act to prevent acts of cruelty against animals, take into custody neglected or cruelly treated animals, and arrest people for violating any law relating to domestic animals (CGS §§ 22-329, 22-329a, & 22-330). Table 1 describes the ACO duties prescribed by law.


ACO training

The law requires the agriculture commissioner to prescribe the ACO training standards and curriculum, which must include information about:

1.     animal identification;

2.     state laws governing animal control, protection, and cruelty;

3.     animal health and disease recognition, control, and prevention;

4.     the humane care and treatment of animals;

5.     animal care and control standards in an animal shelter;

6.     animal transportation standards and procedures;

7.     principles and procedures for capturing and handling stray domestic animals and wildlife, including how to deter an animal from biting;

8.     first aid for injured animals;

9.     documenting animal cruelty evidence and courtroom procedures;

10.   animal shelter operations and administration;

11.   animal spaying, neutering, microchipping, and adoption;

12.   communications and public relations;

13.   search warrants and affidavits;

14.   ACO civil liability;

15.   crisis intervention and officer safety; and

16.   other topics related to animal control and animal shelter personnel (CGS § 22-328(d)).

Upon completing the training, a person must give the commissioner evidence of completing the program and the commissioner must issue the person a certificate of completion (CGS § 22-328(e)).

In practice, the Department of Agriculture annually holds an ACO Training Academy that consists of 96 hours of instruction.


aco duties

Table 1 summarizes the responsibilities and authority granted to ACOs by state law.

Table 1: ACO Duties

Citation (CGS §)

Summary

22-329

ACOs may act to prevent cruelty against animals.

22-329a

ACOs may take physical custody of neglected or cruelly treated animals.

22-329b

ACOs must report suspected harmed, neglected, or cruelly treated animals to the agriculture commissioner within 48 hours.

22-330

ACOs may arrest people for violating any law relating to dogs or other domestic animals.

22-332

ACOs are responsible for enforcing chapter 435 of the general statutes (the laws on companion animals, kennels, and pet shops) and diligently investigating violations.

ACOs may impound roaming dogs or any injured or mistreated dogs or other domestic animals. If an animal is not claimed, an ACO may have a veterinarian spay or neuter the animal and the ACO may sell an unclaimed animal as a pet. An ACO must have animals that remain unclaimed put down humanely.

22-332a

ACOs may not sell or give an unclaimed, impounded dog to an animal dealer.

22-332d

An ACO for a municipality that has adopted an ordinance about feral cats may impound cats causing an unsanitary, dangerous, or unreasonably offensive condition. If a cat is not claimed by its owner, the ACO may have a veterinarian spay or neuter the cat and the ACO may sell an unclaimed cat as a pet. An ACO must have a cat that remains unclaimed put down humanely.

22-342(b)

The chief state ACO or any state ACO may inspect dog kennel facilities.

22-344c

ACOs may inspect dog breeding facilities.

22-349

Municipal and regional ACOs must annually make a diligent search for unlicensed dogs.

22-358

ACOs may kill dogs pursuing or worrying domestic animals, poultry or deer.

ACOs must investigate complaints of biting animals and have biting animals quarantined, restrained, or disposed of as necessary.

22-359

ACOs may quarantine any animal suspected of being rabid.  ACOs may immediately kill any wild animal that appears rabid.

 

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