Reported delays in Stamford
Connecticut Carry received complaints about excessive delays with pistol permits at the Stamford Police Department including more than six month wait times.
Applicants also contacted Connecticut Carry and informed us that Stamford Police Department was not forthcoming with public records that they had requested about their applications.
What we are doing:
- An FOI request was sent to the Stamford Police Department on April 20, 2012 requesting a list of all their current permit applications and the dates associated with them to get a basic idea of how many applicants Waterbury is affecting and hopefully to establish where the problem lies.
Results so far:
- The request was received by the Waterbury Police Department on February 5, 2012, 8:17 am.
- The Stamford Police department stalled until February 22nd while issuing multiple pistol permits to destroy the information sought in the FOI request. There is a long email thread evidencing the ridiculous questions and hinderances that Stamford provided to a simple request.
- On February 22nd, a response to the request was picked up from the Stamford Police Department's front desk.
- Investigation of the response showed that Stamford had HUGE backlogs on multiple permit applications and that they had ommitted and likely destroyed evidence of their delays in the time it took for the FOI request.
- A complaint has been filed with the Freedom of Information Commission over Stamford Police Department's failure to provide prompt access to public records in accordance with state law.
Sec. 29-29. Information concerning
criminal records of applicants for permits.
(a) No temporary state permit for carrying any pistol or revolver shall be issued under the provisions of section 29-28 unless the applicant for such permit gives to the local authority, upon its request, full information concerning the applicant's criminal record. The local authority shall require the applicant to submit to state and national criminal history records checks. The local authority shall take a full description of such applicant and make an investigation concerning the applicant's suitability to carry any such weapons.
(b) The local authority shall take the fingerprints of such applicant or conduct any other method of positive identification required by the State Police Bureau of Identification or the Federal Bureau of Investigation, unless the local authority determines that the fingerprints of such applicant have been previously taken and the applicant's identity established, and such applicant presents identification that the local authority verifies as valid. The local authority shall record the date the fingerprints were taken in the applicant's file and, within five business days of such date, shall forward such fingerprints or other positive identifying information to the State Police Bureau of Identification which shall conduct criminal history records checks in accordance with section 29-17a.
(c) The local authority may, in its discretion, issue a temporary state permit before a national criminal history records check relative to such applicant's record has been received. Upon receipt of the results of such national criminal history records check, the commissioner shall send a copy of the results of such national criminal history records check to the local authority, which shall inform the applicant and render a decision on the application within one week of the receipt of such results. If such results have not been received within eight weeks after a sufficient application for a permit has been made, the local authority shall inform the applicant of such delay, in writing. No temporary state permit shall be issued if the local authority has reason to believe the applicant has ever been convicted of a felony, or that any other condition exists for which the issuance of a permit for possession of a pistol or revolver is prohibited under state or federal law.
(d) The commissioner may investigate any applicant for a state permit and shall investigate each applicant for renewal of a state permit to ensure that such applicant is eligible under state law for such permit or for renewal of such permit.
(e) No state permit may be issued unless either the local authority or the commissioner has received the results of the national criminal history records check.